Artist Statement

I am a facilitator and artist recently relocated to Hampton, Nova Scotia, in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. A love of visionary art, both traditional and contemporary, inspires me to explore new ways to juxtapose the ancient with the postmodern (and beyond). I am drawn to futurism and ‘post-humanism’, and how the evolution of technology may lead–accidentally or otherwise–to novel mergings of life forms (ie humans/animals/plant life with technology). I love to challenge, inspire, and activate the imagination, as well as to celebrate the evolutionary journey in all of its diverse and sometimes messy expressions.

Biography

Amanda Suutari’s 20 - year art practice includes painting, illustration, graphic design and wearable art. Weaving elements of folk & visionary art and artisanal traditions from East and South Asia and South America where she has lived and worked, her work reflects magic, dreams, and a reverence for, and celebration of, the natural world. Amanda has exhibited works and published illustrations internationally and has been featured in the arts and culture online magazine, Stir Vancouver. As an ‘artivist’, she uses her art as a vehicle for campaigning, fundraising and education initiatives to regenerate ecosystems and support global equity.