Suzanne Sbarge
“’Star Cube’ emerged as an opening to the cosmos. The abstract geometry of the image is different from my mostly figurative, narrative work. I was at the beginning of an intensive art residency at Ogden Contemporary Arts in Utah, feeling trepidation about creating a solo museum show in two months. The eight-pointed star in a transparent cube was born from experiments that made me pivot multiple times and guided my path forward.
In my work, I begin with a general intention and try to let my unconscious lead the way. ‚Star Cube‘ started with photographs of my elongated shadow against the white, cracked earth at Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. I initially imagined painting red thread through the weft of the three long, vertical, double pointed diamond shapes made from repetitions of my shadow. As I contemplated the geometry of this structure, the star in the cube emerged from the points of the triangles.
I love the mystery of the process as well as the image that feels like an opening to the unknown. There are so many ways to see and feel this piece. In sacred geometry, the 8-pointed star represents balance, cosmic order, and the union of opposites. Built from two overlapping squares or diamonds, it is the shape of a compass – a wayfinding tool – as well a symbol of stability, symmetry, and expansion in all directions. Ultimately, I see Star ‘Cube’ as a beacon or path to both inner and outer peace.”
Suzanne Sbarge was born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1965. She has lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico since 1989. She received a B.A. degree in Art History and Studio Arts from Barnard College in New York City (1987) and an M.A. degree in Art Education from the University of New Mexico (1991). She has also studied studio arts at L’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Toulouse, France; Syracuse University in Florence, Italy; The Art Students’ League in New York City; University of Connecticut; University of Massachusetts; as well as Anderson Ranch in Colorado, and Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. Suzanne was awarded the 2025 Artist-in-Residence fellowship at Ogden Contemporary Arts in Utah, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, among others. She has done multiple residencies at Vermont Studio Center and Obracadobra Artist Residency in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her work has been exhibited in over 80 group exhibitions and 18 solo shows since the late 1980s. It is in the collections of over 150 local, national and international collectors, and has been represented at galleries across the United States.
“Star Cube,” 2025, mixed media on panel (76,2×76,2cm)