if SUsaN COMes to visit You, HOW will you know?

[smiles]

Susan Cianciolo used to make clothes but now she makes art.

Susan Cianciolo once opened a pop-up restaurant (“RUN Restaurant”) at Alleged Gallery with her now ex-husband Aaron Rose. They served vegetarian food in “an elaborate Japanese luncheonette, complete with a rock fountain, handmade table linens, tatami rooms and a working kitchen.”


From 1995 to 2001, Susan Cianciolo put out clothes under the label RUN, which was stocked by Barney’s and IF Soho and praised by Margiela. The clothes, mostly t-shirts, dresses and other simples forms, feature hand stitching, collaging, and D.I.Y addendum such as snap on pom-poms. Assistant at the time Annie OK has this to say about a spring collection: “We were thinking about dust bunnies, and laundry lint, and the string that hangs out of your pocket when you turn it inside out."



Susan Cianciolo’s daughter (8 years old) is named Lilac Sky Cianciolo. Lilac is fully participant in Susan’s work, contributing her own designs and drawings, and naming pieces.

Susan Cianciolo is also known for her zines and art books, which she initially started making with Aaron Rose and Mark Gonzales as companions to her fashion collections, and now continues to produce for exhibitions and as stand alone works.



In 2014, Susan Cianciolo partnered with her long-time collaborator Kiva Motnyk to launch Thompson Street Studios, a home goods and experimental textile studio. Cianciolo released the RUN home collection, featuring hand stitched quilts, coasters, pillows, and other home crafts.



In 2017, Susan Cianciolo was one of the 63 artists chosen for the Whitney Biennale. In addition to showing work, Cianciolo will also re-stage RUN Restauarant at the biennale (although she will not be cooking herself this time).

Noted palm reader Dame Darcy has this to say to Susan: “You do a lot of different things, but it’s all coming from the same place.  A lot of people change their careers three times during their life, but yours is more going to be an evolution — it might evolve into something else, but it’s always going to be the same thing, just manifested differently.”

[smiles]

Run Collection #8, 1999

This collection was presented at Lady Mendl's Tea Salon, a Victorian style-tea room near Union Square. Antek Walczek, one of the founders of Bernadette Corporation, incorporated footage of the presentation into his work Run With Zeros, "A document about a fashion video that gets depressed, not by mourning things lost or passing, but from the mortality and fatigue of a continuously triumphant present."

[deadkitty]

[Iliam]

some more info

Susan Cianciolo studied at Parson 1991-1992.

After graduating she worked as a designer for Kim Gordon's label, X-Girl, and Badgley Mischka.

She was part of the scene and was close friends with its eponymous member Bernadette van Huy.



Bernadette helped organise and style her first collection, RUN 1 (1995 or 1996).
Susan's work would be regularly featured in Bernadette Corporation's magazine Made in USA.


(Susan Cianciolo's first runway show, Run 1, 1996. at Bridget Donahue Gallery (I think))

Early work shows influences from Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons and Hussein Chalayan.

Some of her contemporaries are/were Shelley Fox, Andrea Zittel, Jessica Odgen and BLESS.
Her studio mate (and occasional model) was artist Rita Ackerman.

[Iliam]

Purple Fashion 3 -Summer 97

1


stills and photography from pro abortion anti pink - directed by susan cianciolo
pro abortion anti pink was screened at the presentaton of RUN 3 (I think)


2

click for bigger ~ interview with susan


3


photos by mauricio guillen

[Iliam]

see-an-see-ohlo

[Iliam]

Purple Fashion 4- Winter 1998




Purple Prose 13 - Winter 1998

[Iliam]

Purple - Number 2 - Winter 98 99

[Iliam]

In 2016, susan was featured in the video for anohni's song "hopelessness"

[Iliam]

Work Shop - Susan Cianciolo (2004)



This is probably the most comprehensive survey of Susan's work to date. It includes all her collections and projects up to 2004, I think. I don't have this book anymore so I don't have any context for these photos.

[Iliam]

“Series 1” - Purple (1999)
Photographer: Anders Edström

[Iliam]

Susan Cianciolo Tells Havana Laffitte About Run Restaurant At The Whitney

Interview: Havana Laffitte
Photo: Olimpia Dior

[Iliam]

bernadette van huy on susan cianciolo for Bernadeet Corporation’s Made In Usa 1 (1999)