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EXCERPTS from AURA

Excerpt from Artist Statement, AURA (1999-2010)
by Susanna Thornton (AURA, Off_Press Publications, 2012, hardback edition)
“A “Foto” (light) “graph” (to render) is an imprint of light. Light is eternal but the moment is fleeting--to pay witness to it is to evoke a sense of that experience; my purpose in doing so is to reveal it to others. AURA spans eleven years. The first works in this series were photographed in 1999. Unable to overlook the stillness and serene, dreamlike quality of the dulating and undulating colored light streams alighting the room through the window of a neighbor’s one night, I began photographing. Life is multi-dimensional, yet a picture is contained within a static plane of values. I am fascinated by existentialist theories, in constant search of understanding and light has sustained creation and existence since the beginning of time as we know it.”

Excerpt from Introduction, Night Lights: Susanna Thornton’s AURA series
by Curator Mara Hoberman (AURA, Off_Press Publications, 2012, hardback edition)
“The photographs comprising Susanna Thornton’s AURA series are serene, unpeopled, and ethereal nocturnes. In this series, which has been evolving since 1999, Thornton focuses on the ephemeral effects of light penetrating darkness—be it be a natural light source such as a shining star, the soft glimmer of a TV illuminating the window of an otherwise darkened house, or a bright fluorescent glow escaping between the slats of a Venetian blind. In each case, Thornton captures a fleeting moment of illumination in a carefully composed photograph, and thereby pushes the viewer to mediate on the rich variety in color, texture, and chiaroscuro that occurs under cover of night.”

SUSANNA THORNTON is a visual artist who makes photographs, films, videos, drawings and paintings. Best known for her distinctive use of light, color and atmosphere, she works extensively at night and her images explore light. Her approach is highly engaged in experimentation drawing on a range of subjects; among her favorite themes: dreams, premonition, mysticism found in nature, scripture, and witness to life events. Her work explores existentialist concepts and relationships stemming from science, religion and literature. She has been photographing at night since 2002 and her NIGHTSTILLS drew critical acclaim in 2007 in "to:Night," in a cross-collaboration exhibition with the Museum of Modern Art. AURA will remain on view at Hardy Tree Gallery, London September 7th through 30th 2012. Thornton currently resides in London and her work has been featured in numerous exhibitions throughout the world and is part of several important collections. Additional artworks and additional information can be viewed at: www.susannathornton.com.