| Secret Future Works |
| Secret Future Work #2 steel, copper, plaster, & paper, in 3 parts, 61 ½ x 11 x 11inches |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Spirit of Hope, open in the year 2013, mixed media, 17 x 10 ½ x 9½ inches |
| Bosnian Secret Future Work mixed media, , 9 1/4 x 6 ½ x 7 inches |
| Lest We Forget Secret Future Work (on Iraq War I) steel, copper, mixed media, 59 ½ x 25 ½ x 3 ½ inches |
| USA Secret Future Work mixed media, 18 1/8 x 17 7/8 x 2 ½ inches. |
| Tanzania Secret Future Work mixed media, 8 ½ x 8 x 8 ½ inches" |
Suzanne Benton began creating Secret Future locked
mixed media art works in 1989. The rich and complex
surfaces of these sculptures are remarkable unopened,
yet, because the locked portions remain so until a
specified date, one gains an opportunity to contemplate
what the future might hold. Benton reveals many intentions
with this series based on a concept new to art. These
works rely on and enclose the future. By requiring us to
wait until a certain date to discover the insides, they
confront the surge for instant gratification our culture
goads us to nurture and indulge. Benton's Secret Future
Work demands holding back our impatience for
immediate satisfaction, offering the promise of a future for
us to imagine what that might mean in uncertain times.
By offering an opportunity not only for the contemplation
of their striking exteriors but also for the patient and
impatient consideration of what remains hidden, these
sculptures heighten our appreciation of mystery. They
require us to trust, hope, gestate, and honor what
remains concealed to be one day be revealed.
Benton has traveled the world for over 30 years, engaging
in diverse cultures and bringing their rich heritage into her
art. She introduces a patron’s cultural matrix in the
individually tailored Secret Future Works. Their, the
collectors’ histories infuse the work with memorabilia and
conversation. These are later opened ceremonially at an
auspicious time.
The artist's wall and standing secret works comment on
the world we inhabit and upon our shared humanity.
Oftentimes, people are invited to insert secret messages in
the inner spaces, as in the works created during
residencies in Spain, Ireland, England, India, Bangladesh,
Kenya, Tanzania, the USA and Bosnia.
www.suzannemasks.com
www.suzannemasksglobal.blogspot.com
mixed media art works in 1989. The rich and complex
surfaces of these sculptures are remarkable unopened,
yet, because the locked portions remain so until a
specified date, one gains an opportunity to contemplate
what the future might hold. Benton reveals many intentions
with this series based on a concept new to art. These
works rely on and enclose the future. By requiring us to
wait until a certain date to discover the insides, they
confront the surge for instant gratification our culture
goads us to nurture and indulge. Benton's Secret Future
Work demands holding back our impatience for
immediate satisfaction, offering the promise of a future for
us to imagine what that might mean in uncertain times.
By offering an opportunity not only for the contemplation
of their striking exteriors but also for the patient and
impatient consideration of what remains hidden, these
sculptures heighten our appreciation of mystery. They
require us to trust, hope, gestate, and honor what
remains concealed to be one day be revealed.
Benton has traveled the world for over 30 years, engaging
in diverse cultures and bringing their rich heritage into her
art. She introduces a patron’s cultural matrix in the
individually tailored Secret Future Works. Their, the
collectors’ histories infuse the work with memorabilia and
conversation. These are later opened ceremonially at an
auspicious time.
The artist's wall and standing secret works comment on
the world we inhabit and upon our shared humanity.
Oftentimes, people are invited to insert secret messages in
the inner spaces, as in the works created during
residencies in Spain, Ireland, England, India, Bangladesh,
Kenya, Tanzania, the USA and Bosnia.
www.suzannemasks.com
www.suzannemasksglobal.blogspot.com
| Bangladesh Secret Future Work mixed media, 10 3/8 x 11 x 3 inches |
| Indian Secret Future Work mixed media, 11 ½ x 6 ½ x 8 inches |
| Spanish Secret Future Work mixed media, 9 ½ x 5 ½ x 6 in. |
| Secret Treasure Box wood, copper and mixed, 17¼ x 9½ x9 ½ inches |
Landscape Secret Future Work, Open in the Year 2011
Partially opened on the left Fully opened on the right, mixed media @ 5 ¼ x12 x 5 inches
Partially opened on the left Fully opened on the right, mixed media @ 5 ¼ x12 x 5 inches
| Lest We Forget Secret Future Work, detail of opening steel, copper, mixed media, |