Susan Scafati examines how individual versus collective identities and personal versus cultural mythologies are constructed. She uses unconventional methods, stemming from continuous exploration of materials and art-making processes, to explore relationships between everyday forms, private and public spaces, and abstracted histories. She makes installations, photo-based works, paintings, and sculptures. She uses light refractions as a metaphor for "cultural lag", the lag between material culture — technology, infrastructure, physical things— and immaterial culture — rituals, rules, institutions.
Scafati’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries, including Sean Kelly Gallery (New York, NY); Rita K. Hillman Gallery at International Center of Photography (New York, NY), Sol Mednick Gallery (Philadelphia, PA), Silvermine Guild Arts Center (New Canaan, CT), Texas Biennial at Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum (San Antonio, TX), Blanton Museum (Austin, TX), The Contemporary Austin Museum (TX), Harry Ransom Center at University of Texas (Austin, TX), Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum (Austin, TX), Co-Lab Projects’ Gallery (Austin, TX), Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery (Nashville, TN), Bonsack Gallery (St. Louis, MO), Photo LA Fair (Los Angeles, CA), Fotofest International Biennial (Houston, TX).
Major large-scale commissions include a 2-story installation in Austin Central Library windows; 111-foot installation featured at Texas Cultural Trust’s Texas Medal of Arts Awards; 4-story installation at Facebook’s office, and a street billboard commissioned by Big Medium Gallery.
Scafati has received awards and accolades from International Center of Photography (New York, NY); The Photo Review (Philadelphia, PA); Lucie Foundation (Los Angeles, CA); Austin Critics’ Table (TX); Silvermine Guild Arts Center (New Canaan, CT); and (with Lakes Were Rivers) from Artforum International Magazine (New York, NY) and Andy Warhol Foundation (Houston, TX). She was selected by The Contemporary Austin to be the museum’s 2019 Contemporary Print Artist — a recognition that highlights outstanding artists and commissions a print for their collection. She was a grant award recipient for 7 years from the CORE Cultural Funding Program (Austin, TX).
Her work is in the collections of Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University (New Haven, CT), Peter Palmquist Collection for Women in Photography International (Los Angeles, CA), Facebook (Global), Austin Central Library (TX), The Contemporary Austin Museum (TX), among others.
Scafati’s work has been featured on the covers of Austin American Statesman, Austin Chronicle, Tribeza, Austin Woman, and in Artnet, Artforum, Harry Ransom Center magazine, Blanton Museum blog, Glasstire, Sightlines, CODA Magazine. Her art and writings have been profiled in books, including “Unruly Visions: The Aesthetic Practices of Queer Diaspora", “Strange Pilgrims: Survey of 2015 Exhibition at The Contemporary Austin Museum”, “In Praise of Blandness: Proceeding from Chinese Thought and Aesthetics”, “Swan Cycle”, “Women Photographers”, among others.