“The No
Matter series is a delightful departure in seriousness and scale from
Suzuki’s other recent work. On dozens of square, tea-stained pages, just 7 ½”
square, the artist engages a host of questions, such as “How was your walk?” or
“How was the weather?,” questions that the viewer can easily imagine asking or
answering on a regular basis. These typewritten questions receive the same
hand-written answer on each page: “Perfect.” The questions and answers sit in
mixed-media environments, seen from an aerial viewpoint, with tea-stained lakes
and elegantly drawn topographies, along with the occasional reference to
weather flags and map symbols. The repetition of mundane questions and the
same, loaded answer—“perfect”—speak to the rote, indifferent reply we often
give or receive in response to what are typically rhetorical questions. While
utilizing her impeccable rendering skills and also relying on some familiar
content—water, land formations, tubes and connectors—these small works are
whimsical and thought-provoking without being didactic or heavy-handed.”
- - excerpt from an essay, “Flow” by
Michele L’Heureux in the catalog: Be Water, My Friend
