Artist and Curator in Conversation: Susan Rothenberg and Michael Auping

This conversation was part of a series of public programs celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the MATRIX Program.
Michael Auping, inaugural curator of the MATRIX Program at BAM/PFA, once described MATRIX as a process of inquiry, a space to question, learn, and establish value within the new. Susan Rothenberg, one of the first artists exhibited in MATRIX (in 1978), embraced a similar experimental attitude when she employed the figure of a horse to explore the essence of painting.

[@16thunderbolt]

I am a painter who has been very influenced by Susan Rothenberg and I find her mental process to be very refreshing, no wonder her paintings speak to me, she is a neat lady

[@lesleyprior3818]

Watching watch

[@ArtByNaNa305]

she seems very nervous (the curator) I feel kinda bad for her :(

[@kennyfrancis6882]

I have a love hate relationship with Susan's work. I love looking at her paintings from time to time as it evokes a sense of mystery, but I hate it because it is lacking in aesthetics.

[@johnjungkook2721]

Can you explain what you mean by "aesthetics"? My understanding of the word is that it is a branch of study that deals with subjective experiences of beauty. So, you're basically saying: "I hate it because I hate it"