Cerbera Gallery Presents: "Circular Logic" by Susan Kiefer

“Circular Logic”
Making things makes Kansas City-based painter Susan Kiefer happy—from paper dolls during her childhood to costumes and scenery for her dance group as a young adult to drawing and painting as the activity that has sustained Kiefer throughout her life. Themes and subject matter of Kiefer’s artwork have varied over the years as new ideas continue capture her attention.
The change in seasons of Kiefer’s life are reflected in her work; what has never changed is her need to create. Kiefer’s recent Expressive Geometric Abstract series featured in “Circular Logic,” explores the range of expression obtainable with compositions using primarily geometric shapes.
The intrigue of working with a restricted image vocabulary is reflected in a line from Edna St. Vincent Millay: “Euclid alone has looked on beauty bare.”
Throughout the series, Kiefer’s visual studies morph into hard-edged geometric abstracts. Kiefer’s focus on clean lines and simple shapes emphasize her exploration and fascination of color and color relationships.
Acting on her childhood belief that artists were famous dead people, acquired by hours of pouring time into their craft; Kiefer always maintained a romantic view of being an artist throughout her life. Kiefer deferred her desire to pursue her brewing passion to create more until she enrolled in a community college drawing class at the age of 35. A BFA in Printmaking from the California College of Arts & Crafts (now the California College of Arts) soon followed.
Her senior project artist’s book, A Landscape of Edna St. Vincent Millay Sonnets, was included in a show at The Victoria & Albert Museum in London and purchased for the permanent collection. Several years later Kiefer returned to CCAC for her MFA and was introduced to painting in a graduate seminar with John Zurier.
She continued her printmaking and figurative work as she started showing abstract oils in the Bay Area. Kiefer returned to her native Kansas City in 2014, delighted with the vibrant art scene, and has shown her expressive geometric paintings in KC galleries for the past several years. She had a solo show of figurative work at the Bunker Center for the Arts in 2019.
“Circular Logic“ is an extension of her previous studies of hard-edged abstracts with a strong emphasis on color relationships.
Solo Exhibitions: 2019 Into the Light, Bunker Center for the Arts, Kansas City, MO 2018 Well Rounded, Opal & Orchid, Kansas City, MO 2005 Musicians, Cité des Artes, Lafayette, LA 1989 Dreams, Myths and Nightmares, Elizabeth Norton Gallery, Palo Alto,
Group Exhibitions:
2019  Geometry, Site:Brooklyn Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (Juror: Phyllis Tuchman)  enGENDERing Change, Cloyd Snook Gallery, Adams State University, Alamosa, CO (Jurors: Dr. Ann Woods and Dr. Alan Woods)  Her Art: Who Does She Think She Is, InterUrban ArtHouse, Overland Park, KS (Juror: Wolfe Brack)  12th Annual Contemporary Figurative Show, Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, MO  August Group Show, R. G. Endres Gallery, Prairie Village, KS (with Lisa Healey, Carl D’Amico, Joseph Almendariz and Wanda Tyner)
2018 Herself, Kansas City Kansas Community College Art Gallery, Kansas City, KS  Black & White 2018, Paper Birch Landing Gallery, North Kansas City, MO  Curiosities, Paper Birch Landing Gallery, North Kansas City, MO  Life Drawing Showcase, Paper Birch Landing Gallery, North Kansas City, MO  A Celebration of Contemporary Abstract Art, Paper Birch Landing Gallery, North Kansas City, MO  One-Night Stand, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO  35th Annual Benefit Art Auction, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, MO (catalogue)  Bra Couture KC Benefit Auction, Downtown Airport, Kansas City, MO  Monthly Group Shows, The Jones Gallery, Kansas City, MO
Selected Collections:
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas City, MO
Library of Congress Special Collection, Washington, D.C.
New York Public Library Special Collection, New York, NY
Victoria & Albert Museum, London, England

For all press inquires and group visits regarding Cerbera Gallery’s June exhibition, “Circular Logic”, contact Philipp Eirich at info@cerberagallery.com. We encourage local museums and art groups interested in private tours to book dates in advance.

(Please Note: Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and CDC guidelines for group gatherings, this exhibition will primarily be featured online. We will allow limited-capacity, in-person visits of the gallery during this time. We strongly encourage visitors to make appointments or call in advance if they plan to visit the gallery. Stay tuned in to our social media and website for updates regarding our current exhibition.)