SHORT BIO
Born in Romania, and American by adoption, Susanna Patras' photographic style is inspired by minimalism and American modernism but filtered through poetry and story telling.
With a background in literature and multimedia design, Susanna Patras' photographs can relate to poetry, in particular, haiku, because they can operate with the same distillation of vocabulary. Photography is a metaphor for "light", which becomes a symbol of ultimate power and strength and a tool for understanding the unseen levels of reality and connections between all things.
In her artwork, Susanna explores the interplay between light and shadows, which can hide or reveal, inspired by the energy of the four elements, earth, water, wind and fire resulting sometimes in vivid colors, other times in subdued monochromatic tones.
Whether she focuses on the poetry and simplicity of the sand dunes, the abstraction of a constructed space, or the beauty and mood of a natural scene that transports the viewer to a distant land, mysterious and exciting, Susanna Patras's images reveal a world of quiet introspection and balance. She believes that nature must be protected to allow ourselves to experience not only its beauty, but also its capacity for healing and revitalization.
Susanna Patras is an award-winning photographer and a member of the American Photographic Artists (APA), Visual Artists' Union in Romania (UAPR-Iasi), and an associate member of the Manhattan Arts International in New York. Her photographs have been published in Landscape Photography Magazine, Dodho Magazine, Light, A Journal of Photography and Poetry, Daily Mail Newspaper, and others. Susanna Patras is currently working with two stock agencies: Arcangel (UK), and Tandem Stills & Motion (US).
ARTIST STATEMENT
Influenced by minimalism, American modernism, poetry and the aesthetic of film noir, my images are sometimes minimal compositions, low-key black and white nature scenes using shapes, textures and space as key elements, or color landscapes with balanced perspectives and natural tones.
Photography can relate to poetry, in particular, haiku, because it can operate with the same distillation of vocabulary. As poet Octavio Paz famously said: “I do not see with my eyes: the words are my eyes”. (Paz, 1990) Photography is a metaphor for "light", in which the imagination and the poetic "eye" are largely used to create new worlds.
Therefore, light becomes a symbol of ultimate power and strength and a tool for understanding the unseen levels of reality and connections between all things. Metaphorically speaking, an image is created from the darkness of the sensor into the light of its existence, as French poet Paul Valery famously said: “what is Plato’s cave, if not an already dark chamber, and the largest ever made?”.
I cannot separate language, and poetry, in particular, from images since they both rely on signs and symbols to define my relationship to the outside world. Both poetry and photography empower me to observe the world around me and express my own inner universe through metaphors, symbols, and stories.
Photographing in the winter or in the desert can sometimes reveal abstract or minimalist compositions that often resonate with traditional Japanese ink paintings. Composition is not only about the careful placement of the subject in the frame, but also an experiment with the space between things. This is based on the concept of “Ma”, a Japanese word that means “space” between two parts.
In my images, I tend to favor simplicity and a touch of mystery, as I record a quiet moment of contemplation in nature.
…”Susanna Patras’ works invite the viewer to a prolonged visual dialogue during which the details of the scenes and balanced compositions gradually unfold conveying emotions and a sense of calm specific to modern contemplative fine art photography”. (Horea Costin Chiriac, Art Critic, Romania)
EXHIBITIONS
Solo Exhibitions
August 21 - 31, 2023 / N. Tonitza Art Gallery, Visual Artists Union of Romania - UAPR, Iasi, Romania
CONFLUENCES, solo exhibit, installation.
CONFLUENCES, solo exhibit, installation.
March 15 - 30, 2022 / Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA
ARTIST SHOWCASE with PACIFICA series in the 20th Solo Art Exhibition.
ARTIST SHOWCASE with PACIFICA series in the 20th Solo Art Exhibition.
March 2 -10, 2020 / "N. Tonitza" Art Gallery, Visual Artists' Union of Romania (UAPR - Filiala Iasi), Iasi, Romania
Solo Photography Exhibition: Pacifica.
Solo Photography Exhibition: Pacifica.
May 5 – 11, 2018 / Palm Springs Photo Festival, Palm Springs, CA, USA
SPIRIT OF THE DESERT (video), Finalist in the Slideshow Competition, Annenberg Theater, Palm Springs Art Museum
SPIRIT OF THE DESERT (video), Finalist in the Slideshow Competition, Annenberg Theater, Palm Springs Art Museum
January 10 – 20, 2018 / N. Tonitza Art Gallery, Visual Artists’ Union (UAPR), Iasi, Romania
CONTRASTS - CALIFORNIAN LANDSCAPES, Solo Exhibit
CONTRASTS - CALIFORNIAN LANDSCAPES, Solo Exhibit
April 10 – 28, 2017 / International Haiku Festival, Ovidius University - Constanta in collaboration with the Embassy of Japan, Bucharest, Romania
MINIMALIST VISIONS, A Photography/Multimedia Exhibit
MINIMALIST VISIONS, A Photography/Multimedia Exhibit
Group Exhibitions
April 3 - 10, 2024 / PH21 Gallery in Budapest, Hungary & Valid World Hall in Barcelona, Spain
VISION AND EXPRESSION: THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY, International group Exhibition, Opening reception April 3 at 7:00PM. Curators: Zsolt Batori, photographer, philosopher of art and Borbala Jasz, philosopher of art, art historian
VISION AND EXPRESSION: THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY, International group Exhibition, Opening reception April 3 at 7:00PM. Curators: Zsolt Batori, photographer, philosopher of art and Borbala Jasz, philosopher of art, art historian
December 2023 / New York Center for Photographic Art, NY, USA
FROM A SEED... A WORLD OF BOTANICALS, juried group exhibit and second prize (Juror: Lee Ann White), online
FROM A SEED... A WORLD OF BOTANICALS, juried group exhibit and second prize (Juror: Lee Ann White), online
Oct 15 - Nov 15, 2023 / the National Museum of Technology in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Visual Artists' Union of Romania, Bucharest, Romania
SNAC - The National Salon of Contemporary Art 2023, Juried. Installation. Curator: Corina Gabriela Duma. Opening night: Oct 19 at 17:30.
SNAC - The National Salon of Contemporary Art 2023, Juried. Installation. Curator: Corina Gabriela Duma. Opening night: Oct 19 at 17:30.
May 8 - July 8, 2023 / Manhattan Arts International, New York, USA
THE HEALING POWER OF COLOR, juried group exhibit, online.
THE HEALING POWER OF COLOR, juried group exhibit, online.
May 3 - 31, 2023 / Glasgow Gallery of Photography, Glasgow, Scotland
OPEN CALL, Juried Group Exhibition. Installation and online.
OPEN CALL, Juried Group Exhibition. Installation and online.
May 2 - 20, 2023 / Victoria Art Gallery, Iasi, Romania
IASI IN COLORS/Iasul in Culoare, juried group exhibit, Visual Artists' Union of Romania (UAPR-Iasi). Installation.
IASI IN COLORS/Iasul in Culoare, juried group exhibit, Visual Artists' Union of Romania (UAPR-Iasi). Installation.
October 13-30, 2022 / 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award Exhibition at FotoNostrum Gallery, Barcelona, Spain. Installation.
March 31 - April 23, 2022 / PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, USA
BOTANICAL, Juried Fine Art Photography Exhibition (by Lee Anne White), installation gallery and online.
BOTANICAL, Juried Fine Art Photography Exhibition (by Lee Anne White), installation gallery and online.
March 19 - April 2, 2022 / Praxis Photo Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
THE STILL LIFE, International Photography Exhibition (juried by Kimberly Witham). Opening Night Reception: Saturday, March 19th.
THE STILL LIFE, International Photography Exhibition (juried by Kimberly Witham). Opening Night Reception: Saturday, March 19th.
January 15 - March 14, 2022 / Marin Society of Artists, San Rafael, CA, USA
Artists' Vision 2022, A Juried Fine Art Exhibition, “Monoliths XI”, Giclee print 18in x 18in..
Artists' Vision 2022, A Juried Fine Art Exhibition, “Monoliths XI”, Giclee print 18in x 18in..
October 2021 / LightSpaceTime Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, USA
2nd prize in SEASCAPES, A Juried Art Exhibition.
2nd prize in SEASCAPES, A Juried Art Exhibition.
December 30, 2020 - March 2, 2021/ Manhattan Arts International, New York, NY
HER STORY, A Juried Exhibition of Art by Women. Online.
HER STORY, A Juried Exhibition of Art by Women. Online.
August 12 – 18, 2020 / Chania International Photo Festival, Chania, Crete, Greece
International Juried Photography Exhibition at the Center of Mediterranean Architecture (CAM) – The old harbor of Chania.
International Juried Photography Exhibition at the Center of Mediterranean Architecture (CAM) – The old harbor of Chania.
October 14 - 30, 2019 / ARTIS - The Annual Art Exhibit, Visual Artists’ Union of Romania, Iasi, Romania
Group exhibit, Victoria Art Gallery (UAPR members).
Group exhibit, Victoria Art Gallery (UAPR members).
September 28 - November 30, 2019 / The Annual Contemporary Art Exhibit (Anuala Artelor), Baia Mare Art Center, Baia Mare, Romania
Special Guest, event organized by the Visual Artists’ Union of Romania (UAPR)
Special Guest, event organized by the Visual Artists’ Union of Romania (UAPR)
September 24 - October 5, 2019 / Jadite Gallery, New York Center for Photographic Arts, New York
TREES, Semi-Annual International Juried Exhibition (Juror: T. Scott)
TREES, Semi-Annual International Juried Exhibition (Juror: T. Scott)
February 7 - March 17, 2019 / Darkroom Gallery, Vermont, USA
WET, Juried Exhibit (Juror: Elizabeth Opalenik)
WET, Juried Exhibit (Juror: Elizabeth Opalenik)
December 7 - 19, 2018 / Blank Wall Gallery, Athens, Greece
WINTER, International Juried Group Exhibit
WINTER, International Juried Group Exhibit
October 20 - November 9, 2018 / Roman Museum of Art and The Regional Center for Aesthetic Education in Piatra Neamt, Romania
FROM GESTURE TO IMAGE, An International Exhibit - painting, graphic arts, photography.
FROM GESTURE TO IMAGE, An International Exhibit - painting, graphic arts, photography.
August 20 – 30, 2018 / Victoria Art Gallery, Visual Artists’ Union of Romania, Iasi, Romania
A.R.T.E. International Festival & Juried Art Exhibit
A.R.T.E. International Festival & Juried Art Exhibit
July 25 – September 2, 2018 / Darkroom Gallery, Vermont, USA
METAMORPHOSIS, Juried Photography exhibition.
METAMORPHOSIS, Juried Photography exhibition.
June 22 – July 22, 2018 / George Bacovia University, Bacau, Romania
TRANS HIMERA, Group Exhibit
TRANS HIMERA, Group Exhibit
May 23 – Aug. 21, 2018 / Don’t Take Pictures Magazine, New York, USA
STRUCTURE, Juried Art Exhibit (online)
STRUCTURE, Juried Art Exhibit (online)
May 7 -21, 2018 / Casa Artelor Gallery, Carpatica Foundation, Cluj, Romania
SIMPLIFICA/RE, Minimalist Art Exhibit: Susanna Patras (photography), Nicole Gaiginschi (painting), and Ion Pop (sculpture)
SIMPLIFICA/RE, Minimalist Art Exhibit: Susanna Patras (photography), Nicole Gaiginschi (painting), and Ion Pop (sculpture)
May 1 – 20, 2018 / Black Box Gallery, Portland, Oregon, USA
LIGHT & SHADOWS, Juried Group Exhibit.
LIGHT & SHADOWS, Juried Group Exhibit.
March 15 – April 15, 2018 / Art Room Gallery, Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Merit Award, BLACK & WHITE Juried Art Exhibition. Online.
Merit Award, BLACK & WHITE Juried Art Exhibition. Online.
February 5 – 25, 2018 / Blank Wall Gallery, Athens, Greece
MONOCHROME, Juried Group Exhibit.
MONOCHROME, Juried Group Exhibit.
October 20 – Nov 24, 2017 / Moldavian Art Salons XXVII, Romania & Rep. of Moldova
Group Exhibit, Iulian Antonescu Museum & George Apostu Contemporary Art Museum in Bacau, organized by the Visual Artists’ Union - Iasi & Ministry of Culture, Chisinau.
Group Exhibit, Iulian Antonescu Museum & George Apostu Contemporary Art Museum in Bacau, organized by the Visual Artists’ Union - Iasi & Ministry of Culture, Chisinau.