SUSANA BOTANA

Susana Botana (Madrid, Spain, 1984) is an artist whose work centers on material exploration throughout her creative process. As a professional sculptor, her primary medium is stone; however, her practice also extends to wood carving and the incorporation of natural fibers. She places deep value on slow, mindful manual work—a rhythm that honors the tactile dialogue between hand and material.

Her work emerges from a fundamental need to engage with matter. Through touch, she conceptualizes, constructs, and hollows out the material. Frequently exploring themes such as the beauty of imperfection, the crack, emptiness and material memory, she creates narratives using natural elements that respect and expand their original qualities. In her practice, she researches the way light passes through alabaster, the erosion of sandstone and investigates the idea that the space between two elements can be just as significant as the substance itself.

Ecologically, her use of natural materials and emphasis on manual processes encourage reflection on sustainability and the human imprint on the environment. Socially, her current focus on large-format stone sculpture allows her work to inhabit public spaces, contributing to the democratization of artistic experience and fostering dialogue with diverse audiences. Philosophically and spiritually, her sculptures often evoke silence, presence, and the unseen—creating contemplative spaces that invite viewers to pause and reconnect with the essential.

She was recently awarded two national awards: First Prize in XXVIII Pere Jou Sculpture Competition (Barcelona), and selection for the XXVII Plastic Arts Prize El Brocense (Cáceres) in 2024. In 2025, she began the year by participating in the sixth edition of the Tuwaiq Sculpture Symposium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Her recent focus on public art, particularly in large-format sculpture, continues to deepen her engagement with both the material world and the broader social context in which art exists.