Suzanne Phoenix is a Melbourne photographer, artist, zine and bookmaker. Photos punctuate her life through portraits, the street and daily life. Suzanne grasps every opportunity to document moments of people and subcultures from those exploring gender and sexual fluidity to hotrod dirt rallies.
Handmade Books:
Suzanne’s first hand made artist book combines childhood archival analogue photographs and digital photographs created over 2 years after moving back to the Yarra Valley surrounded by the aggression, the beauty, the disenfranchised and the dreamers that make up what we know as ‘middle Australia’.
A one-off unique book 2015.
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Printed Books and Zines:
IWD 2012-21
Each year since 2012 Suzanne Phoenix has curated a photography project – What Does International Women’s Day Mean to Me?
Suzanne brings together a group of inspiring, courageous and often outspoken cis and trans women and gender diverse people to create a visual snapshot of the fierce, funny and extraordinary people who inspire her world.
This self-publication documents 85 portraits and individual’s own responses to the question ‘What Does International Women’s Day Mean to Me?’ since the beginning of the series along with images of events and street exhibitions.
First edition of 50, signed and numbered.
Self-published 2021Size: A4
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Artists in Residence
‘Artists in Residence’ is a collection of collaborative artworks created with 52 Victorian Artists in Lockdown 2.0.
Over 3 weeks Suzanne Phoenix created virtual photographic portraits with 52 artists over Zoom calls while catching up and chatting about how we were coping. But that wasn’t the end of the collaborative process. Each artist was then given their virtual portrait via email and they responded to it in their own way. These included digital modification, illustrations, sewing onto the photo or printing it and even rolling it in a ball, planting it and watering it for a week and then drying it with a hairdryer and photographing the final artwork.
This publication includes the virtual portraits, the finished artwork and the artists written response to their coronavirus experience.
Self-published 2020
Size: A4
104 pages
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Isolation Portraits
Melbourne photographer Suzanne Phoenix documented the impact of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions for people in the Upper Yarra with isolation portraits.
This is the first edition in this series.
Self-published 2020
Size: A4
104 pages
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Isolation Portraits 2
Melbourne photographer Suzanne Phoenix documented the impact of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions for people in the Upper Yarra with isolation portraits.
This is the second edition in this series.
Self-published 2020
Size: A4
96 pages
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Unprecedented
Unprecedented is a brilliant word. Its use in these times is unprecedented. In the end everything is unprecedented.
The magazine features diptychs created with photographs made during the coronavirus pandemic restrictions in Melbourne, Australia from late March to end of April 2020.
During this period Suzanne Phoenix stayed home and went for walks in Warburton and Millgrove, with the occasional drive to the supermarket in Yarra Junction. Alongside the diptychs are key messages and quotes from our politicians.
Self-published 2020
Size: A4
56 pages
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Downhill Festival 2020
Yarra Ranges Downhill Festival was held on Mount Donna Buang, Australia on 21 and 22 March 2020.
Self-published 2020
Size: A4
76 pages
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
What Does International Women’s Day Mean to Me 2019 and 2020?
Each year since 2012 Suzanne Phoenix has curated a photography project – What Does International Women’s Day Mean to Me?
Suzanne brings together a group of inspiring, courageous and often outspoken cis and trans women and gender diverse people to create a visual snapshot of the fierce, funny and extraordinary people who inspire her world. These are people who help build and celebrate the diversity that is the modern voice of women.
These self-published magazines includes women who are providing touchstones for stronger, softer, more relevant female role models, some through gentle focused determination, others through grit, physicality and many through words and song. The portraits were also pasted up as street art in Melbourne.
Over 100 people including Amy Taylor of Amyl and The Sniffers, Bitch Diesel, Geraldine Hickey, Gillian Triggs, Glitoris, Lazertits and Kylie Auldist
Self-published 2019 and 2020.
Printed and digital download versions available.
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Double Exposure 2 : Broken Hill and Bang Rak
Collaboration between Wuthipol Ujathammarat and Suzanne Phoenix.
After unveiling rare perspectives of Melbourne and Yarra Valley in a work that embraces the art of double exposure in 2016, Suzanne and Wuthipol reunite to create artistic imagery that merges two very different landscapes, Broken Hill and Bang Rak.
Broken Hill is a frontier mining town in outback Australia and now home to the Broken Heel Festival which celebrates the theatrical anniversary of “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” as her spiritual home. Bang Rak is an old commercial port of Bangkok’s past that welcomed all walks of life from east and west, and is now transforming into a creative heartland that plays host to the futuristic Bangkok Design Week.
These Double Exposures bring together the old charms and historic ways of life with new imaginations that both places offer as opportunities to reinvent themselves.
Attached with this work is a series of single exposures, selected by the artists. The readers are encouraged to create their own Double Exposures and share them with the artists #brokenhillbangrak on social media.
Self-published 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Size: A5 148mm x 210mm
Paper (covers): Satinesse 180gsm
Paper (inner pages): White Card 160gsm
Binding: Saddle Stitch, Thread
Printer: Cyberprint Group
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Suburban Autos
Photographic project of loved classic cars and suburbs of our Australian childhood. They provide nostalgia to a much simpler time where capturing life through the car window is all one needs.
Self-published 2017.
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Tape
Society has become obsessed with tape and in turn so has Suzanne Phoenix.
Self-published 2016.
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Bradmill Factory
Photographs of the abandoned Bradmill Factory in Newport, Melbourne taken in 2013.
Self-published 2016.
Purchase: www.suzannephoenix.com
Books Featured In:
Mass Isolation Australia
The Loud and Luminous project celebrates and recognises the important and diverse contributions of contemporary women photographers and female identifying artists in Australia. It is designed to empower girls and women to pursue creative careers and it is strongly focused on gender equality in the arts. The project is unique and important in recognising the
Published: 2020
Purchase: Ballarat International Foto Biennale
Unmasked Melbourne
The ‘Shot in the heart of Melbourne – Melbourne Unmasked’ photobook by Australian Association of Street Photographers Inc. (AASPI).
This photobook is 96 pages of incredible street photography by the members of AASPI celebrating the street life of Melbourne.
Published: 2020
Purchase: Australian Association of Street Photographers Inc
Loud and Luminous Project
The Loud and Luminous project celebrates and recognises the important and diverse contributions of contemporary women photographers and female identifying artists in Australia. It is designed to empower girls and women to pursue creative careers and it is strongly focused on gender equality in the arts. The project is unique and important in recognising the extensive cultural contribution women photographic artists and photographers have made in this country. It encourages women to tell their stories to contribute to Australia’s cultural identity. It acknowledges the importance of all stories. Suzanne was selected for inclusion in all 3 years of this project and publication.
Published: 2018-2020
Purchase: Loud and Luminous Project
Landscape Photo Books -Looking at Landscape Vol 1
Suzanne featured in photo book which is a profile of varied styles of landscape photography in the 21st Century from Asia, Oceania, North and South America, Europe and the British Isles.
Self-published by Landscape Photo Books 2020.
Printed book : https://www.amazon.com/dp/1714327086/
Electronic download : https://www.blurb.com/b/9885699-landscape-photo-books
Exhibitions:
Suzanne’s self-published books and zines have been exhibited at the following events:
Ilford CCP Salon – Centre for Contemporary Photography 2021
Miss Rona – NOIR darkroom 2020
Melbourne Art Book Fair 2020
Midsumma Queer Zine and Art Fair 2020
Melbourne Art Book Fair 2019
Open Spaces, Abbotsford Convent 2019
Shanghai Art Book Fair 2019
Singapore Art Book Fair 2019
Tokyo Art Book Fair 2019
Bangkok Art Book Fair 2019
Ballarat Foto Biennale Art Book Fair 2019
Melbourne Art Book Fair 2018
Ballarat Foto Biennale Art Book Fair 2017
Melbourne Art Book Fair 2017