Susana Machado
About Susana
Born in Portugal in 1972, she moved to France at the age of five, where she later developed her artistic career. In 1996, she graduated in scenography from the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris. Working between Lisbon and Paris, she has designed sets and costumes for over thirty live productions , including theatre, dance, and music, across Portugal, Belgium, and France, as well as contributing to projects in cinema and television. Alongside her creative practice, she has also taught visual arts in workshops, preparatory art schools, and institutions across the city of Paris.
While drawing and watercolour have remained consistent elements throughout her work, over the past twelve years she has focused more extensively on painting. Her practice is characterised by the combination and juxtaposition of various techniques — including oil, acrylic, pastel, ink, and collage — applied across diverse surfaces such as paper, canvas, wood, and cardboard. Her themes are deeply connected to the notion of space, ranging from architecture and landscapes to theatrical scenography, often exploring the relationship between composition, format, and the interplay of visible and hidden elements.
Her visual language is marked by a sense of imagination, humour, and vibrant colour. Lines expand and dissolve, shapes intertwine, and compositions evolve into dynamic rhythms. Depending on her creative impulse, she may paint, assemble, or even sew her works, embracing both controlled composition and spontaneous gestures. Through layering, collage, and experimentation with materials, she creates series that highlight both the texture of the medium and the expressive potential of each surface.
