Angela Susini was born in Florence, Italy and grew up surrounded by Renaissance art. One of her ancestors: Antonio Susini, was an Italian painter. Antonio Susini was a prominent bronze caster, painter, and sculptor who worked in the Florentine workshop of Giambologna, one of Italy's most renowned and well-reputable Mannerist sculptors.
Her journey into the art realm began after winning a scholarship, where she attended the well-reputable and famously exclusive Opificio delle Pietre Dure of Florence (which notoriously only accepts less than a handful of students every year), obtaining a Master’s degree in art, conservation and restoration of Cultural Heritage Art from the Italian Ministry of Culture. There she studied the history of art, from the paleolithic period to the modern and classical era. Additional techniques that she took in were: Fresco painting, Pittura su tela e tavola, and Paper making (which involved either using worn pieces of cloth or pure cellulose). Susini also attended paper making courses at Fabriano.
Her further training and ventures were:
Learning printmaking techniques at Il Bisonte - Foundation for Art and Printmaking, Florence, Italy.
Taking a diploma course in Renaissance Art & Trompe l’Oeil at the” Bottega” or Florence Art Academy in Florence, Italy.
Studying and training in ancient manuscript/book conservation and restoration in Rome, at the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale.
Susini wrote a book about enzymes in paper conservation and restoration for the OPD and her art contributions for the magazine OPD RESTAURO.
Susini went on to work on restoring a variety of priceless masterpieces such as preparatory drawings by renowned renaissance artists for Fresco paintings, ancient globes on parchment, hand-painted wallpapers, fashion drawings, and Leonardo Da Vinci’s Resta Code from the Pinacoteca di Brera Milano.
Additionally, Susini worked on different projects and artefacts, such as: ancient wallpaper, ancient globes, drawings on parchment, and Corali books.
She also worked in a prestigious studio in Florence that was owned by French curator Julie Guillemette.
Moving on from her background in restoration, Susini’s work evolved into a much more abstract direction.
After having lived in Florence, the Tuscan countryside, Japan, Paris, and London. She is currently based in Brighton & Hove.
Clients & Collaborations:
Aside from gracing Wolfox cafes and restaurants such as Kusaki in Brighton, Susini's art has appeared on high-profile television shows such as Netflix's “You” tv series .
Among her most notable collaborations is an art and textile design collection with BMW, where she contributed her art to a clothing collection. The BMW collection displayed her creative process on the silver screen in Omotesando, Tokyo on the year 2023 for HighSnobiety and BMW Japan.
Latest Exhibitions/Projects:
2017 - Art Studio in Florence
2018 - Art Fair Fortezza da Basso, Florence, Italy
2022 - Kusaki Brighton, Brighton, UK
2022 - Brør, Brighton, UK
2022 /2023 - BMW - art & fashion collaboration
2023 - Artwork featured on the Netflix series “You” Season 4
2023 - Claremont Hotel, Hove, UK
2023 - The Holy Art Fair, Oxo Tower, London, UK
2023 - High Snobiety event for BMW, Tokyo, Japan
2024 - Paxton Glew Contemporary Art Gallery, Brighton, UK
2024 - The Well, Event Space + Bar , Brighton & Hove, UK
STATEMENT
Angela Susini’s work is inspired by Japanese minimalism.
Her BMW project: “Nebula” is a collection of gouache paintings on raw canvases. The bubbles in her art represent being in a protected, creative space where she can escape from the stress of everyday life. Her bubbles also convey a sense of pleasure and serenity.
She is working on protecting her inner space by surrounding herself with safe bubbles of energy, values, and aesthetics.
Susini believes that the constant narcissistic bombardment from social media and the constant fear-mongering from the news is ultimately affecting the mental state of humanity. Her art-scape is her personal safe haven where she can preserve her imagination, creativity, and tranquillity.
She wants to encourage and inspire people to find something in life that they can cherish to escape into a safe space when they need to.
Her last work “Onsen” (Which is a term for Japanese bathhouses), revolves around tranquility and Feng Shuey principles which are: order, balance, peace.
Her current collection : “Paint, Paper, Fibre” conveys serenity and a sensation of relaxation through her work. She achieves this with simple shapes, lines, dots, and strokes. Japanese brushes and matcha whisks are employed to add a distinct texture. She usually explores different media such as: gouache, pencils, ink, pigments, applications of Japanese papers, cardboard, and fabrics directly onto her raw handmade canvas.
The study of the colour palette is also fundamental for her to transmit different emotions onto her work. The beautiful, solid natural frame enhances the natural elegance of the paintings.
She only creates original pieces because she believes that the value of a painting increases automatically if it's just a singular piece, made in a special moment and hasn't been replicated.
Angela wants her art to bring positive impact on people’s mental health. Her goal is to balance your home/living space with paintings that convey a calming atmosphere. A sacre place to rest and escape when overwhelmed , stressed and anxious.