Exhibitions by Susan Knaap - Contemporary New Zealand artist

SUSAN KNAAP, New Zealand Contemporary Artist

LOCAL ARTIST INVITED TO 2005 FLORENCE BIENNALE

(Sited in 'The Wellingtonian' newspaper, November 18, 2004)
The Florence Biennale is a huge multinational art exhibition with invited artists from all over the world taking part. It is recognised by the United Nations as an official partner in the programme 'Dialogue Among Nations'. In this time of warfare and unrest in many parts of the world, in the words of Kofi Annan:

"Artists have a special role to play in the global struggle for peace. At their best, artists speak not only to people; they speak for them. Art is a weapon against ignorance and hatred and an agent of public awareness… Art opens new doors for learning, understanding, and peace among people and nations."

Wellington artist and staff member at The Learning Connexion, Susan Knaap has been invited to exhibit at the upcoming 2005 Florence Biennale. This is a huge honour, accorded to only a few other New Zealand artists. The Florence Biennale features several hundred contemporary artists from around the world and is juried by leading international art professionals and critics. Knaap has confirmed her participation and is intending to travel to Florence in December 2005 to attend the week long festival and is currently seeking sponsorship.

Knaap has, for some time, focused on art that connects with the public at a transpersonal level. Her works, which combine lush colouring with multi-layered surface textures evoke a mystical, transcendent quality and reflect her deep curiosity about the nature of the universe and humanity's existence within it.

Symbolism is etched into many of Knaap's works and her ability to communicate at this level was recently rewarded when she became a finalist in the 2004 International Online Juried Symbolist Art Show. Of the finalists, one of the jury members stated that the works "had rich symbolic meaning and their imagery was powerful enough to haunt me long after I had finished looking at the work itself."

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