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SUE ELA - ARTIST STATEMENT
Sue Ela was born in the United States and has resided in Jerusalem, Israel since 1970. For Sue, sculpture is a natural continuation of her work as a psychologist and she examines different avenues of expressing the complicated emotional realm that she encounters in her work with children, couples, families and individuals. Sue's conviction that people have the ability to change and grow as individuals and in their relationships is expressed in the flow and movement in her abstract sculpture.
Based on her abstract sculptures, Sue has designed a family sculpture park which is experiential, interactive and encourages direct contact between children, adults and sculpture. The sculptures themselves become abstract and magical, stimulating the imagination and allowing familiar and treasured experiences such as climbing, sliding and swinging. Two of these interactive sculptures were built and placed in Modiin, Israel in May 2013.
Sue's "Peace Dove" depicts her belief that most people on both sides of a conflict strive to live together in peace and harmony. One side of the sculpture portrays a peace dove and the other side a couple dancing which symbolizes the fact that it takes two individuals to live together harmoniously as it takes two nations to live together in peace. One of the proposed models of the sculpture park is a "Peace Dove Slide" on which children of all nationalities would be able to slide and play together with the hope that in future generations these children will grow to be adults living together in peace.
The proposed "Dynamic Family" sculpture depicts the reality of the modern family which takes on different forms as compared to the traditional family of the past: father, mother and children. This sculpture consists of numerous abstract figures of different sizes and colors which could be moved on tracks with a central area, allowing each individual to create the family as he perceives it.
Sue's abstract sculpture "Dance" was enlarged to two meters, casted in bronze and placed in the tranquil garden at the Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva in November 2014.
Sue has participated in various exhibitions in Israel, the United States and Europe.