Susan Hiller

Susan Hiller was an American-born British artist, born in 1940 in Tallahassee, Florida, and based in London, who became one of the most influential and pioneering figures in conceptual and multimedia art. Initially trained as an anthropologist, Hiller transitioned to art in the early 1970s, bringing with her a deep interest in cultural practices, the unconscious, and the overlooked or marginal aspects of society. Her work is known for its use of diverse media—video, sound, photography, and installation—to explore themes such as memory, language, the paranormal, and collective experience. Her background in anthropology played a significant role in shaping her approach to art, often treating her projects as cultural investigations.Hiller’s work frequently examined the boundaries between the personal and the collective, the seen and the unseen. One of her most famous works, The Dream Screens (1996), involved the collection and display of dreams recounted by people from different backgrounds, blending the scientific and mystical to explore the shared human experience of dreaming. Another important piece, Witness (2000), used hanging microphones that played audio recordings of individuals recounting UFO sightings, investigating the relationship between belief, memory, and storytelling, and showing her continued fascination with the paranormal and the unconscious.In her Sisters of Menon (1972-1979), a mixed-media installation, Hiller recontextualized found cultural materials, specifically commercial postcards and photographs, to explore how images and objects hold cultural significance beyond their immediate appearances. Through this and other works, she questioned how society preserves and values different forms of knowledge, from the scientific to the spiritual, often focusing on things that fall outside traditional narratives.Hiller was known for blending personal archives with broader cultural themes, as seen in From the Freud Museum (1991-1997), where she presented a series of objects in vitrines, like museum displays, drawing attention to the way history, memory, and identity are constructed. Her interest in psychoanalysis, archaeology, and anthropology continuously informed her practice, as she invited viewers to look beyond surface appearances to uncover hidden layers of meaning. The conceptual rigor and intellectual depth of her work made Hiller an artist whose practice was both academically insightful and emotionally resonant.Over her five-decade-long career, Hiller exhibited internationally at major institutions, including Tate, the Venice Biennale, and MoMA in New York. Her work is held in numerous prestigious collections worldwide. Through her innovative use of media and her focus on the intersection of the subconscious, the supernatural, and cultural memory, Susan Hiller remains a key figure in contemporary art, celebrated for pushing the boundaries of conceptual and multimedia art.