Susan Te Kahurangi King’s Way of Seeing
At seventy-five, she may be New Zealand’s greatest living artist.
New Zealanders often feel isolated, far from the bustling world outside their island home. This sense of remoteness subtly shapes their unique cultural sensibility, fostering a kind of down-to-earth camaraderie among locals. Despite the challenges of living so far from the rest of the world, those who achieve fame beyond the country are invariably welcomed as national heroes.
One such artist, Susan Te Kahurangi King, at seventy-five years old, may be the country's most renowned living artist. Her work is housed in prestigious collections such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and MOMA; art critic KAWS even deemed her among "the best drawings" period. Jerry Saltz, New York's art critic, likened her to Willem de Kooning.
In 2019, a solo exhibition of King's drawings at Andrew Edlin Gallery in Manhattan garnered widespread acclaim, with the New York Review of Books critic Sanford Schwartz praising her work, suggesting it should be purchased in its entirety. King's artistic journey has a distinct trajectory. She produced her earliest significant works in the 1950s, a time when she was still quite young.
Over the following three decades, she drew incessantly before suddenly ceasing her artistic pursuits during her forties. For sixteen years, she retreated to her home, spending her days engrossed in watching television. However, in 2008, she resumed her artistic endeavors. It was only in her second phase of creating art that the world began to take notice of her remarkable talent.
In 2009, Sydney-based collector Peter Fay initiated her first solo exhibition, marking her first foray into the public eye at the age of fifty-eight. Critics have drawn parallels between King's style and Pop art, noting her ability to transform lowbrow visual culture into a deeply personal and expressive language. She creates whimsical worlds populated by peculiar characters - pig-faced individuals, diaper-wearing ducks, and "Looney Tunes" figures undergoing surreal dental procedures - all rendered with a bold, confident style.
King's artistic evolution has been remarkable, from bold, clean drawings as a child to melancholic landscapes and intricate compositions in her teens, then to dynamic, ever-changing forms in her twenties. Her ability to invent new styles at any age speaks to her boundless creativity. Despite her prolific output, King remains relatively unknown due to her unique personal circumstances.
She does not read, write, or speak, which limits her ability to self-promote or share insights into her work. Her artistry is confined to the realm of visual expression, discovered and appreciated by others observing her work. During an encounter in Auckland, King's method of drawing became apparent - she draws without planning, relying wholly on the spontaneous flow of ideas from her mind to her hand.
Her drawings reveal a childlike wonder, blending humor, grotesqueness, and raw emotion into an extraordinary visual tapestry. Despite her reclusive nature, King's presence is palpable, and her art continues to captivate audiences worldwide.
Written by urgent.news from The New Yorker's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
