Susanne Aaltonen | COMING UP FOR AIR

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Susanne Aaltonen, “FADED SILHOUETTES,” 2024

acrylic and photo transfer on wood panel (courtesy of the Gallery)

Paul Kuhn Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of recent paintings by Calgary artist, Susanne Aaltonen. In her own words Aaltonen writes:

COMING UP FOR AIR examines the intricate and nuanced connection between internal growth and the spaces we inhabit—both physically and emotionally. It explores the tension between feeling submerged by the weight of external pressures and the lightness of clarity that emerges when we allow ourselves to surface and breathe. This body of work is the result of searching for balance between these opposing forces, embracing moments of quiet release while recognizing the struggle that precedes them.

These pieces reflect the different layers of the journey, from the depths of introspection, to the sensation of breaking through, and the moments of quiet peace that follow. Materials and techniques are deliberately chosen to create a sense of fluidity and contrast. This work exists within this juxtaposition, inciting a found rhythm similar to the ebb and flow of life’s challenges, that can overwhelm but also ultimately sustain.

COMING UP FOR AIR invites reflection on moments of submersion and emergence, asking us to pause, breathe, and find renewal in the act of coming up for air.

Susanne Aaltonen (she/her) is a Canadian artist currently living and working in Calgary, Alberta. She received her BFA from the Alberta College of Art + Design (now Alberta University for the Arts) in 2016. In 2017 she was part of the Banff Artist in Residency for Emerging Artists at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, as well as numerous private collections. This is her third exhibition with Paul Kuhn Gallery;  previous exhibitions include: “From Mustasaari” in 2019, and “a constant internal vibration” in 2021.

Susanne Aaltonen

September 2024