Biography
Susan Fraser-Hughes (b. 1966, Queensland, Australia) is a contemporary artist based in Vancouver, Canada, whose practice is deeply rooted in the discipline of drawing, working primarily with charcoal on frosted Mylar. She holds a PhD in Fine Arts from Aberystwyth University, Wales, United Kingdom (2017); a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Calgary, Alberta (2002); a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Distinction from the Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary (2000); and completed the Art History Summer School at Cambridge University, England (2001). Her formal education, coupled with extensive cross-cultural artistic exposure, has informed a nuanced and academically reflective visual language that bridges realism and conceptual inquiry.
Fraser-Hughes' work explores the complex interplay between light and darkness through the depiction of elements of nature and quotidian objects. Best known for her evocative charcoal drawings on frosted Mylar, she engages with the metaphysical dialogue between the observer (the signified) and the observed (the signifier), constructing a visual phenomenology that interrogates perception, temporality, and interconnectedness. Her compositions are distinguished by their methodical precision, combining the discipline of figuration with the emotional resonance of realism. Across her notable series — including Just a Moment (2019), Every Rose: a different Story (2022–present), and I Am... (2024) — Fraser-Hughes examines the shifting boundaries between presence and absence, light and obscurity, gesture and stillness. Each work, conceived as part of an evolving continuum, documents the artist's sustained inquiry into the essence of observation and transformation, akin to a sculptor's engagement with spatial form rendered in two-dimensional media.
Susan Fraser-Hughes has exhibited internationally, with recent and forthcoming shows including The Warrior Empath (Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Paris, France, 2025); Parasitó (in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico in Mumbai, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India, 2025); La Rupture du Désir (Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Paris, France, 2025); Unveiling (Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India, 2025); The Road to Authenticity (Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Artsy, 2025); and Global Open Studio Visit (Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Artists' Studios globally, 2025). Her previous exhibitions include Understory (Seymour Gallery, Aberystwyth, Wales); Juxtaposition (Trianon Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada); Drawn (Manifest Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio); and Three Definitions of the Sublime (Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Canada). Her works are held in notable collections, including the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and she is the recipient of multiple distinctions, among them Patterns of Memory (Second Prize, 2024). Through her continuous practice and global exhibition record, Fraser-Hughes asserts an enduring presence within the contemporary art discourse, contributing a distinctive and intellectually profound perspective on materiality, perception, and the luminous subtleties of the human condition.
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Education
2017 Aberystwyth University, Wales, United Kingdom, PhD in Fine Arts
2002 The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Master of Fine Arts
2000 Alberta College of Art and Design, Calgary, Alberta, Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction
2001 Cambridge University, Cambridge, England, Art History Summer School
1992 Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia, Bachelor of Education
Solo shows
2015 Resonance, Vancouver, Canada
2014 Corbels, Gallery B, Aberystwyth, Wales
2014 Heads, Little Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2008 Lands Formed, Virginia Christopher, Calgary, Alberta
2006 Transition, Mezzanine Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2005 Juxtaposition, Trianon Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta
2002 Momentum, Little Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2000 Exordium, Marion Nicholl Plus 15, Calgary, Alberta
Selected Group Exhibitions
2025 The Warrior Empath, Curated by Dorron Britz, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Paris, France
2025 Parasitó, Curated by Dorron Britz, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico in Mumbai, Mumbai, India
2025 La Rupture du Désir, Curated by Dorron Britz, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Paris, France
2025 Global Open Studio Visit, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Artists Studios globally
2025 Unveiling, Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India
2025 The Road to Authenticity (Online Exclusive), Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Artsy
2024 Land and Sea, VisualSpace Gallery, Vancouver
2024 Understory, Seymour Art Gallery, Deep Cove,
2022 Many Gardens, Calgary Library, Calgary
2020 Solidarite, INAOSSIEN Art, Online
2019 Drawn, Manifest Gallery, Cincinatti, Ohio
2019 Human Nature, Colours of Humanity Gallery, Online
2019 Identity, Envision Arts, Online
2013 Unity in Opposition, a Joint Show With Eric Cameron, Curated by Nicholas Wade, Trianon Gallery, Lethbridge, Alberta
2010 Art-O-Rama, Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2008 Art-O-Rama, Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2008 Art at the Castle, Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario
2007 Faculty Exhibition, Nickle Arts Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2007 Three Definitions of the Sublime, a Joint Show With Helena Hadala and Louise Pagè, Curated by Eric Cameron,
Triangle Gallery, Calgary
2006 The 27 Year Old Show, Virginia Christopher, Calgary, Alberta
2006 Studio and Christmas Art Show, Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2006 New Work, New Artists, Virginia Christopher, Calgary, Alberta
2006 Making a Mark, Winter Street Studios, Houston, Texas
2005 Faculty Exhibition, Nickle Arts Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2005 The Studio, Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2005 New York Arts Festival, Spirit Club, New York, NY
2004 The Studio, Triangle Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2002 Link (MFA Show), Nickle Arts Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2001 Non–Existence, Existence, Little Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2000 Graduating Show, BFA, Illingworth Kerr Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2000 Immersion, Marion Nicholl Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
2000 Elements, Harrison Gallery, Calgary, Alberta
1999 Painting Graduate Show, ACAD, Calgary, Alberta
1999 Pull of Heaven and Earth, ACAD, Calgary, Alberta
1999 BEAM, ACAD, Calgary, Alberta
1999 Awards Show, ACAD, Calgary, Alberta
1998 Spring Show and Sale, ACAD, Calgary, Alberta
1997 Awards Show, ACAD, Calgary, Alberta
Awards & Recognition
2024 Patterns of Memory (1st Prize), Vedica Art Studios and Gallery, Mumbai, India
2024 Black and White (1st Place), Colours of Humanity Art Gallery
2019 London International Creative Competition, LICC Finalist
2011 London International Creative Competition, LICC Category Winner
2004 Finalist – Experimental Category, Artists Magazine
2001 Alberta Heritage Masters Scholarship, U of C, Calgary
2001 Alberta Heritage Scholarship, U of C, Calgary
Faculty of Fine Arts Graduate Research and Travel, ACAD, Calgary
Grumbacher / Davies International Prize, ACAD, Calgary
BEAM, ACAD, Calgary
Masters Gallery Scholarship, ACAD, Calgary
Illingworth Kerr Scholarship, ACAD, Calgary
Selected Publications
2024 Art On World
2024 Argument 07, Artistic and literary magazine
2023 Art On World
2022 Art On World
2020 INDA 14 Manifest International Drawing Annual
2020 Solidarite Catalogue, INAOSSiEN Art
2020 Envision Arts Magazine
2019 Envision Arts Magazine
2011 London International Creative Competition (LICC) Art Book
Selected Collections
2004 Alberta Foundation for the Arts, Alberta
Selected Press, Podcasts
Deepesh Moolchandani and Siddhant Khattri, "Susan Fraser-Hughes: Charcoal Hyper-realistic artist from Vancouver, Canada" in Compounding Square (Podcast) (2024) at [https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nN3Sy2bxXC2EcIa5iNZRC?si=S68jfv3ZTjKgwZ49CmM1Ug] published on 25th April, 2024.
Lisa Garr, "The Aware Show presents: Susan Fraser-Hughes" in The Aware Show (Podcast) (2024) at [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGbi8rpuE8Q] published on 29 May, 2024.
Ananya Tantia, "Susan Fraser Hughes | Artist | Podcast" in Coffee with Ananya (Podcast) (2022) at [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPsAC_HFD3tIM1D3EvDcYGg/videos] published on 28th August, 2022.
Max Zheng, "Passion of an Artist | Susan Fraser-Hughes" in Human Prosperity (Podcast) (2021) at [https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gODAxJ4HcGuk5BgYy9B0m?si=de0e9711198344c4] published in February, 2021.