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Suellen Parker received her MFA in Photography and Related Media from the School of Visual Arts in New York. She has had solo exhibitions at the Stefan Stux Gallery NY and Daniel Cooney Fine Art NY. Her work has been featured in exhibitions at the Aperture Gallery, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Musée de l’Elysée in Switzerland, Jackson Fine Art and White Space Gallery, Atlanta. Suellen’s work has been published in The New York Times Magazine, Discover Magazine, the American Photography juried annual and regeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow published by Aperture. Her work is included in the permanent collections of Sir Elton John, Musée de l’Elysée, and Tel Aviv Museum in Israel. Suellen is represented by the Stux Gallery, NY and Whitespace Gallery, Atlanta. She is a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta.

Each character is conceived through any combination of my experiences, such as my perception of a stranger’s presentation of themselves or a memory from my past that just will not go away. When a character starts to emerge from my imagination, I attempt to create him or her in plastiline clay. Once satisfied with the sculpture, I photograph it in the studio with a blank backdrop. Concurrently, I build up a library of images by photographing walls, floors and any other objects or environments relevant to the concept for the image or the personality of the character. I load all of these photographs into the computer and begin the digital phase of my process. First I bring my characters to life by digitally painting skin tones onto the grey sculpture and adding color to the clothing. Photos of eyes are integrated onto the face and the finishing touches are added. Next a preliminary arrangement of photos are collaged around the figure in order to create the environment. The rest of my process is a combination of working and reworking the image by arranging, shooting, reshooting, and digitally drawing objects that make up the environment until it is finished.

EDUCATION

2004 MFA Photography & Related Media, School of Visual Arts, New York
1996 BFA University of Georgia, Athens, GA

SELECTED EXHIBITS

2016
December Show, White Space Gallery, Atlanta, GA
2015
December Show, White Space Gallery, Atlanta, GA
The Raconteurs, Gallery Walk at Terminus, Atlanta, GA
2014
Selfie: A Contemporary Look at the Self-Portrait, Chastain Arts Center, Atlanta, GA
Fantastical Minds, Gallery Walk at Terminus, Atlanta, GA
2012
Letting Go, whitespace gallery, Atlanta, GA
2010
POST-her, Jackson Fine Art, curated by Angela West and Anna Walker Skillman, Atlanta, GA
2009
reGeneration, Hoffman Gallery, Portland, OR; Preus Fotomuseum, Horten, Norway
2008
Hello Liberty, Dalton Gallery, Atlanta, GA
Next Art Fair with Stux Gallery, Chicago, IL
Incurable Still, solo exhibit, Stux Gallery, New York
(Untitled) u = ____ [a photographic group show], Fette’s Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
reGeneration, DeVos Art Museum, Marquette, MI
reGeneration, Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, CO
reGeneration, Miami Dade College, FL
2007
Stalking Suburbia, Westport Arts Center, Westport, CT
SHOTS, The Festival of the Photograph, Charlottesville, VA
Talent Show Atlanta Biennial, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA
Incurable, solo exhibit, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, New York
Photography Faculty Exhibit, Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
reGeneration, Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery, Pasadena, CA
2006
Scope Miami with Daniel Cooney Fine Art, Miami, FL
212 Art Fair with Daniel Cooney Fine Art, New York
reGeneration, Pingyao Festival with Musée de l’Elysée, Pingyao, China
Jackson Fine Art, Atlanta, GA
reGeneration, The Art Institute of Boston, Boston, MA
reGeneration, Aperture Gallery, New York
2005
reGeneration, Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland
reGeneration, Galleria Carla Sozzani, Milan, Italy
Photography, Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, Atlanta, GA
2004
Renegades & Patriots, Garage Projects, Atlanta, GA
The Look of Things, MFA Thesis Show, Visual Arts Gallery, School of Visual Arts, New York,

Reviews and Press

2008
“Gritty Putty” by Felicia Feaster, The Atlantan Magazine, October
“Spotlight on Local Talent” artist talk for Atlanta Celebrates
Photography at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, October
“Can Schizophrenia Be Cured Before It Starts?” photo illustrations, Discover Magazine, August
“Beauty and Its Other” by Bharati Chaturved, Business Standard, New Dehli, April 19
Public 15 Minutes, The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, January
2007
“Atlanta Innovates” by Catherine Fox, Atlanta Journal – Constitution, November 25
American Photography 23, by Kathy Ryan, Amilus Inc, November
“Plastic Aspirations: Suellen Parker’s World of Incurable Desire” by Jolene Pozniak, Locus Suspectus, Issue 4, Fall
“The Wasteland? Stalking the Soul of Suburbia” by Lorraine Gengo, New Haven Advocate, September 20
“Provocative Photo Exhibit at the Westport Arts Center Examines Life in Suburbia” by Lee Scharf, Westport Minuteman, October 4
“Talent Show, Atlanta” by Phil Oppenheim, ART PAPERS Magazine, September/October
“Diverse Biennial an awkward mix” by Catherine Fox, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 24
“Image Craft” produced by Helena Cavendish de Moura and The New York Times Magazine, Filmed and Edited by Jessica Ellis.
“Doctor or Drug Pusher?” photo illustrations, The New York Times Magazine cover story, June 17
“Can You Live With The Voices In Your Head” photo illustrations, The New York Times Magazine, March 25
“Clay Nation” by Raphael Risemberg, The New York Blade, February 23
The Gay Art Tour, Here TV, NY, February
Ocean Drive Magazine, February
“Beautiful Delusions” by Amy Benfer, Metro New York, NY, January 10
2006
“Trick Photography” by Felicia Feaster, Creative Loafing Magazine, Atlanta, GA, October
reGeneration, Part 3: Suellen Parker, Ikono.tv, Berlin, Fall
“A Question of Resilience” photo illustrations, The New York Times Magazine, April 30
2005
“Young Photographer’s Stark View of Reality” Hors Ligne, Switzerland, August
“Schone neue Fotowelt” Der Bund, Berne, Switzerland, July 2,
reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow, Thames & Hudson 2005, London & Paris; Aperture 2006, New York
2002
Here is New York, Scalo 2002, New York

Reviews and Press

“Whitespace is far from a traditional artspace.” By Felicia Feaster, Atlanta Magazine, August 2015
“Selfie suggests digital technology puts a new spin on tradion of self-portraiture” by Dinah McClintock, ArtsAtl, July 22, 2014
“Selfie Explores a New Take On an Old Genre” by Deidra Tyree Smith, Burnaway, July 11, 2014
“Selfie finds significance in group show in Atlanta” by Felicia Feaster, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, July 1, 2014
“Suellen Parker Digitally Remasters Clay Sculptures with Fragments of Photography” by Stacy Dacheux, Beautiful Decay, July 2013
“Review: At whitespace gallery, Suellen Parker’s Gender-Bending explorations of identity” by Jerry Cullum, ArtsATL, November 2012
“Suellen Parker’s Claymation figures break the mold” by Grace Thorton, Creative Loafing, October 2012
“Q&A: Suellen Parker’s Manic Optimism in Letting Go at Whitespace” by Claire Maxwell, Burnaway, September 2012
Lecture, Georgia State Photography Grad Program, Fall 2011
Atlanta’s Top 50 Most Creative People, Common Creativ, April 2011
“Gritty Putty” by Felicia Feaster, The Atlantan Magazine, October 2008
Lecture, “Spotlight on Local Talent” artist talk for Atlanta Celebrates Photography at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia, October 2008
“Beauty and Its Other” by Bharati Chaturved, Business Standard, New Dehli, April 19, 2008
Lecture, Public 15 Minutes, The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, January 2008
“Atlanta Innovates” by Catherine Fox, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 25 2007
American Photography 23, by Kathy Ryan, Amilus Inc, November 2007
“Plastic Aspirations: Suellen Parker’s World of Incurable Desire” by Jolene Pozniak, Locus Suspectus, Issue 4, Fall 2007
“The Wasteland? Stalking the Soul of Suburbia” by Lorraine Gengo, New Haven Advocate, September 20, 2007
“Provocative Photo Exhibit at the Westport Arts Center Examines Life in Suburbia” by Lee Scharf, Westport Minuteman, October 4, 2007
“Talent Show, Atlanta” by Phil Oppenheim, ART PAPERS Magazine, September/October, 2007
“Diverse Biennial an awkward mix” by Catherine Fox, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, June 24, 2007
“Image Craft” produced by Helena Cavendish de Moura and The New York Times Magazine, Filmed and Edited by Jessica Ellis.
“Clay Nation” by Raphael Risemberg, The New York Blade, February 23, 2007
The Gay Art Tour, Here TV, NY, February 2007
Ocean Drive Magazine, February 2007
“Beautiful Delusions” by Amy Benfer, Metro New York, NY, January 10, 2007
“Trick Photography” by Felicia Feaster, Creative Loafing Magazine, Atlanta, GA, October 2006
reGeneration, Part 3: Suellen Parker, Ikono.tv, Berlin, Fall 2006
“Young Photographer’s Stark View of Reality” Hors Ligne, Switzerland, August 2005
“Schone neue Fotowelt” Der Bund, Berne, Switzerland, July 2, 2005
reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow, Thames & Hudson 2005, London & Paris; 
Aperture 2006, New York
Here is New York, Scalo 2002, New York

COLLECTIONS

Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland
The Sir Elton John Collection
Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Israel
King and Spaulding