Susan O’Doherty

Susan O’Doherty is a contemporary Australian artist known for assemblage, painting, collage, sculpture, and installation.  She appropriates and recycles everyday materials, textiles and household implements, utilizing these discarded found objects to create a myriad of provocative, ironic, thought provoking and at times sinister works commenting on gender, consumerism, violence, memory and history.  Born in Brisbane Australia in 1960, O’Doherty studied film prosthetics and make-up in Sydney, beginning her early career in film and theatre.  In the mid 90’s she was working as an artist, painting in figurative and abstract idioms, expanding her practice with a variety of media in the early 2000s to include mixed media assemblage, textile sculpture, and collage.

Susan exhibited 450 painted portraits of visual arts practitioners ‘900 Eyes, Domestic Lives’ in 2008-9 at Manly, Tweed River and Maitland regional galleries. She participated in Macquarie University Gallery’s ‘Reimag(in)ing SomaSex’ and in ‘Diarama’ at Wollongong Art Gallery.  In 2014-17, she collaborated on major Regional Gallery Touring Exhibition ‘Moving House’ with artist husband Peter O’Doherty, incorporating assemblage and painting of the various rooms of the houses that she lived in as a child.  Marking the centenary of the Anzac Gallipoli landing, the artist participated in commemorative exhibitions ‘Contemporary Gallipoli’, ‘Your Friend the Enemy’ and ‘Wept, Wait and Be Worthy’ at Macquarie University Gallery, S.H. Ervin Gallery, The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre and regional galleries in Bathurst, Goulburn, Cowra, Hawkesbury and Grafton NSW.  Her exhibition ‘Pinned to the Wall’, looking at sexual politics, domestic violence and consumerism travelled to Ballarat, Sydney and Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery NSW  2017-2018. In 2021 a series of her textile sculptural heads referring to hospital staff is included in a group exhibition ‘A Conspicuous Object – the Maitland Hospital’ at Maitland Regional Art Gallery.

O’Doherty was selected for the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale in 2019, also participating that year in the Art Central Hong Kong art fair and at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre for the Everyday Madonna exhibition focusing on contemporary depictions of the Madonna and Child.  Susan has been a finalist in the Glover Art Prize, Portia Geach Memorial Award, Salon Des Refuses, Fisher’s Ghost Art Award, Redlands Art Award, Mosman Art Prize, the National Still Life Award and KAAF art prize. Her works are in the collections of the National Art Museum of China in Beijing, the City of Sydney, Smorgon Collection and Regional Art Galleries throughout NSW.  The artist currently lives and works in Sydney Australia.

Congratulations to Art Atrium artists of getting the 2023 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award

Art Atrium Artist Exhibiting – Susan O’Doherty – A Conspicuous Object – The Maitland Hospital

Art Atrium Exhibition Opening – Susan O’Doherty – Walking the Plank Without a Shadow

Art Atrium Artists in Conversation – Susan O’Doherty and Craig Foster AM

Susan O’DohertyWalking the Plank Without a ShadowInterview with Richard Moorecroft

Susan O’DohertyWalking the Plank Without a ShadowCatalogue Essay by Katrina Cashman

Congratulations to Art Atrium artists Susan O’Doherty and Andrew Tomkins for being selected in the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale 2019

Art Atrium at Art Central 2019 presented with Kate Briscoe, Paul Connor, David Middlebrook, Susan O’Doherty and Andrew Tomkins

Congratulations to Art Atrium artist Susan O’Doherty exhibited in Everyday Madonna at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

Artwork