susan aparicio
stained glass and video artist
los angeles, ca
Would You Like to Interact?
Single Channel Video 7:10, Monitor, Electronics, ABS Plastic, LED Light
28 x 17 x 2 in
"Would You Like to Interact?" delves into the concept of existence and activation within the digital world. It portrays the artist as dormant, like a computer in binary mode, off until an interaction occurs. This activation is fleeting, with the artist returning to standby mode, technically alive but unengaged. The piece reflects on the nature of presence in the digital realm (and real world?), suggesting that without interaction in social media, one feels non-existent—alive yet isolated in a dark void. It contrasts the bright, engaging light of the internet with the darkness of being outside its sphere, highlighting the dependence on interaction for a sense of presence and life.
i Didn’t Have an iPod Growing Up and i Never Got Over It
Fused Glass, Glass Paint, Magnets, on Wood and Zinc Panel
24 x 48 x 1.5 in
i Didn’t Have an iPod Growing Up and i Never Got Over It is a work born from a personal longing for something she never owned herself. The artist created a selection of replicas of every type of iPod ever released, capturing the essence of these devices despite them not being ‘real.’ Through these replicas, the artist bridges the gap between unattainable objects and the sensation of owning them. The work delves into knockoff culture, reflecting on how it satisfies desires and navigates the constraints of limited access.
iPods are available for individual purchase here
Susan1
Susan2
Please Take Me Away From Here (1)
Die Cut Stickers, ABS Plastic, Glass, Magnets
2.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 in, stickers 1.5 x 4 in
Please Take Me Away From Here transforms the artist into a product, creating sticker replicas of herself that are free for the taking and dispersement. This act of becoming an entity spreads the artist's spirit into the world, journeying into the unknown across time and space. The work contemplates existence and its continuity in different forms, merging the physical and conceptual aspects of identity. By exploring access in the art world and the ubiquitous nature of stickers, the artist navigates the two-dimensional plane, questioning the essence of presence and the impact of her dispersed likeness.
New Texts (Video Edition)
Stained Glass, Solder, Lead, Glass Paint, Chain, Magnets, Single Channel Video 1:35, Monitor
15 x 43 x 1 in
RAZR and U
Stained Glass, Solder, Lead, Glass Paint, Chain, Magnet, Live Camera, Monitor
15.75 x 30 x 1.5 in
New Texts and RAZR and U draws inspiration from early 2000s flip phones in the form of upscaled stained glass replicas. This transformation mirrors the artist's desire to own these devices, despite their obsolescence. New Texts scrolls aimlessly through an old phone. This work explores the allure of past technologies and the complex relationship between nostalgia, ownership, and the ever-evolving digital landscape. RAZR and U plays a live camera surveillance feed of viewers, highlighting the nature of technology surveillance and our self awareness and playing into this surveillance.
The Spirit of Light
Oil Paint on Canvas
12 x 12 x 1.5 in
Falling in Love with Jersey Shore
Stained Glass, Fused Glass, Solder, Lead, Glass Paint
Variable Dimensions, Installed here as 48.75 x 42 x 0.25 in
Access
Stained glass, Solder, Lead, Glass Paint, Chain
Variable Dimensions, Installed as 42.5 x 42.5 x 0.25 in
Falling in Love with Jersey Shore and Access explores the intersection of digital experiences and physical reality. Drawing from a personal obsession with the show Jersey Shore and the use of LimeWire to access music, the artist reflects on how these digital interactions shaped her perceptions growing up. The work translates computer programs into stained glass windows, bringing the digital world into our physical space. This transformation makes the intangible tangible, converting digital desires and dreams into material forms. It invites viewers to reconsider what is true and real, recognizing that the digital world, once thought to be limitless and authentic, may not hold the same meaning today.
Susan Sleeping
Single Channel Video 5:02
Susan Sleeping explores the parallels between human sleep and the dormant state of computers and televisions. Screensavers serve as a metaphor for this in-between state—active yet idle, much like how we are unconscious but alive during sleep. The work contemplates the idea of humans as mirrors to computers, highlighting how digital inactivity reflects our own periods of rest. It plays into the notion of sleeping within the void of the digital realm, drawing a parallel to how one can become absorbed in dreamscapes or the expanse of the digital world.