Te Tuhi announces Susu (Tzu-Cheng Alex Su) as the recipient of the 2022 Iris Fisher Scholarship. Susu is currently completing their BFA (Honours) at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Employing a wide range of media including digital form, painting and video, their practice centres around ideas related to journeying and the frontier of extra-terrestrial travel, drawn from their experience of migrating to Aotearoa from Taiwan at the age of 15. Recent exhibitions include A Mass of Pub-a-Pub-a-lee (2019) at ProjectSpace and promising.space (2021) at Window Gallery, both in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and their work will be included in two group shows at The Physics Room, Ōtautahi Christchurch and play_station, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington later this year.

Susu says, "Beyond grateful to have received the scholarship, I would like to thank the team at Te Tuhi, and the Lou and Iris Fisher Charitable Trust for this opportunity. I would also like to express my love for my Tāmaki Makaurau family who's supported me through my journey, and allow me the strength to challenge myself <3 I look forward to continue developing my practice, with great motivation and support from this honour."

The Iris Fisher Scholarship is a national award of $5,000 to support an outstanding postgraduate student in their final year of a visual arts/fine arts course of study. Since 2007, Te Tuhi, in partnership with the Fisher family, have supported the development of emerging Aotearoa New Zealand artists with this annual award. Past recipients of the Iris Fisher Scholarship include Xi Li, Emily Parr, Quishile Charan, Aaron Kong, Christina Pataialii, Kalisolaite ‘Uhila and Erica van Zon.

The scholarship is named after Iris Fisher, a founding member of the Pakuranga Arts Society and the driving force behind the creation of the Fisher Gallery, later to become Te Tuhi. Her original bequest has fostered contemporary visual arts practice and art education. It is envisaged that these funds will be put toward fees, materials, travel or a purpose which will enable the recipient to successfully complete their final year of postgraduate study.

Congratulations to Susu for this achievement; we look forward to watching as their art practice continues to develop.

IMAGE: Susu, promising.space, 2021 (still). Image courtesy of the artist.

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