“Susan Wald has often depicted broody, mournful and desolate works. Consider her paintings of abattoirs and crows, and the majestic barrenness of a sandy landscape, and how these all reference grim histories, orthodox violence, and suffering.  In an oevre of decades, her oil paintings and works on paper capture the beauty in the abject, as much as they speak of neglect, denial and long tails of sadness. With brilliant brush work, precise representation, and an unexpected thoughtful palette, in all these paintings, she configures narratives of human culpability and resilience.

And now, from the trace of death, she paints the living back, subverting what we might call still life. For with their animation, the skulls still live; vibrant and spirited, they populate our imagination. These paintings are an invitation to dream of a world that is otherwise, and to find inspiration in doing so.”

Lenore Manderson AM
Professor, University of the Witwatersrand
January 2024