ARTS    Best of Seattle 2006                                                                                    April 2, 2006

Critics' Picks
 Arts & Entertainment

Best Emerging Artist

Even before she graduated from UW's ceramics program this year, Susie J Lee had developed a style and vision that had earned her awards and critical notice. At Jacob Lawrence Gallery's juried art show last March, her work stood out--a pulsating image projected onto a pillowy screen evoking lovers in a piece titled Conjugal. In the recent MFA show at the Henry, her work was also striking. Lee brings to her sculptural and video creations a potent combination of intelligence, emotion, and sensuality that isn't always found in conceptual art. I suspect her background in ceramics has given her the advantage of a distinctive tactile sensibility. A native of North Dakot, Lee, 33, recently joined the SOIL art collective and has acquired a new studio space in the GSA building. It all sounds very promising--Sue Peters