Born in London in 1959, Susie MacMurray initially trained as a classical musician, and spent many years playing in orchestras around the world, before retraining as an artist, Completing a BA in Sculpture (1997-2000) and an MA in Fine Art (200-2001) both at Manchester Metropolitan University. An engagement with materials and the body is at the heart of MacMurray’s practice, and she considers her role as akin to that of an alchemist: combining material, form and context in deceptively simple ways to stimulate both physical and cultural associations within those who encounter her work. Working in installation and sculpture she has gained a reputation for poetic site-specific interventions in historic spaces. Her work typically references the history of a space and merges the particularities of that history, the specifics of the site, and the meanings of materials to gain insight and raise questions about the relationship between place and people. Drawing is also an important part of MacMurray’s practice. In addition to her large-scale pen and ink work she uses unconventional materials including rubber tubing, hair and wax to extend the possibilities of the medium. MacMurray has an international exhibition profile, showing regularly in the USA, Europe, and the UK, and her work is held in public collections such as the Manchester Art Gallery and Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. She lives and works in Manchester.
