Susanna Heron

Susanna Heron
Susanna Heron, Henslow's Walk, 2011. Sainsbury Laboratory, Cambridge.
Born	1949 Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire
Nationality	British
Education	Central Saint Martins
Known for	Drawing Sculpture
Awards	Honorary Fellow of the RIBA
Website	http://www.susannaheron.com/

Susanna Heron (b. 1949 – ) hon FRIBA is a British artist who works primarily between drawing, sculpture, scale and movement.

Heron was born in Welwyn Garden City in 1949. Her family moved from London to Eagles Nest, Cornwall in 1955. She is the younger daughter of the painter Patrick Heron and Delia Heron (née Reiss ) and sister of architect Katharine Heron. She was educated at Penzance Girls Grammar School and studied at Falmouth School of Art 1967-68 and Central Saint Martins School of Art, London 1968-1971.

Between 1966-83 Heron received international recognition as a major presence in British New Jewellery. Her works were not immediately discernible as jewellery instead Heron made a series of works which extended the body to articulate the surrounding space through movement and proportion.

In 1977 Heron was awarded UK/US Bicentennial Arts Fellowship (British Council/N.E.A.) to travel and work in the USA for one year.

In 1981 Heron made ‘The Wearables’ (Stedelijk Museum Collection.), a series of works consisting of flat discs tied to the body. These were a group of works to be worn like clothing, or to be exhibited with the idea of wearing them. ‘The Wearables’ were exhibited on the wall alongside photographs created with David Ward and ‘offered a new meditation and reflection on the conditions for jewellery and body wear’

‘The Wearables’ were the last works Heron made to be worn and led to a new beginning in sculpture. The peripatetic body continued to be the measure in her work. By filling the spaces for the body the works could no longer be worn and rather addressed the architectural qualities of the room. ‘Frieze’ 1983-84 (Papier-mâché and aluminium leaf wall piece 41 x 343 cm, height from floor 2.5m) was shown in her first sculpture exhibition at Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1985. Followed by exhibitions at Plymouth Arts Centre (1986), The Showroom (1987), Camden Arts Centre (1989) and Newlyn Art Gallery (1992).