Susie Chaikin

Susie’s practice is the way she makes sense of her experience of herself and the world. Currently she is working on a series of 3D anatomical hearts. As a devotion of love, grief, of repair, of resilience, a contemplation of the exquisite complexity of being human.
Through making, she discovered that beauty and reflection can coexist with pain. The physical act of stitching is inherently healing. It invites stillness and contemplation. Stitching is traditionally used for mending, and Susie is drawn to that symbolism. She works heavily into the fabric, layering thought and feeling until the linen becomes dense, strengthened, reconstructed. The material grows more resilient, infused with intentions.
Recently, when she stitched a heart, she thought of her own — and she felt parts quietly mending. Influenced by the devotional practice of ex-votos and milagros, she sees her stitched organs as contemporary milagros — modern prayers for healing and connection. She often makes pieces as offerings for others. Each stitch holding intentions or prayers, transforming the piece into an act of love.
Stitching reflects the complexity of being human — both anatomically and emotionally. When Susie stitches an organ, she thinks of its intricacy: the veins, arteries, and muscles woven together, mirroring the threads in her fabric. She also works in mosaic, another form which uses the idea of repair. Ancestry is important in her practice, the crafting traditions passing down.
She is curious about how she can create spaces of healing and contemplation in community.
suziezeus.com