Su-Mei Tse at Nested, Aargauer Kunsthaus, Switzerland
Su-Mei Tse’s multidisciplinary practice gracefully bridges visual art, sound, and quiet contemplation. Classically trained as a cellist, Tse weaves auditory and visual rhythms into poetic explorations of memory, time, and space. Working across video, sculpture, photography, and installation, she treats sound not as a passive background element, but as a tangible, physical presence. Her work frequently examines threshold spaces—moments where internal psychological states mirror external environments. She employs natural phenomena, found objects, and subtle site-specific interventions to construct meditative spaces where silence, vibration, and repetition become active subjects of inquiry. Drawing on her heritage, Tse deftly integrates Eastern philosophies of harmony and stillness with Western conceptual traditions. Ultimately, Tse’s practice invites viewers into a state of heightened mindfulness. By drawing attention to ephemeral shifts in light, cadence, and texture, her resonant artworks turn fleeting personal sensations into shared, universal sensory experiences.
Su-Mei Tse (b. 1973, Luxembourg) lives and works in Berlin and Luxembourg. She earned her MFA from Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris (2000). Solo institutional exhibitions include: Taipei Fine Arts Museum (2019); Hayward Gallery, London (2018); Yuz Museum, Shanghai (2018); Portland Museum of Art, OR (2018); Aargauer Kunsthaus, Switzerland (2018); MUDAM, Luxembourg (2017); Académie de France à Rome, Villa Médicis, Rome (2014); Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (2011); Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (2009); Seattle Art Museum (2008); MIT List Visual Arts Center, Boston (2007); MOCA, Taipei (2007); and MoMA PS1, New York (2006) among others. She participated in Beijing International Art Biennale (2022); Setouchi Triennale, Kagawa, Japan (ongoing); Biennale of Sydney (2018); and São Paulo Biennial (2004) among others. She was awarded the Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco Prix (2009); Edward Steichen Award (2005); and Venice Biennale Golden Lion for Best National Participation (2003) among others.