Susanne Ramsenthaler is a visual artist living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her work is mostly lens-based, encompassing a wide range of practice, from antique non-silver printing techniques to video, digital imaging and computer animation.

Her interest lies in visual perception as well as things that are liminal, on the edges, or hybrids - the fine line between attraction and repulsion, for example, and all things connected with this idea. In this spirit, mixing low-tech with high-tech, old with new, has become a regular mode of working.

She has exhibited widely on a national and international level, with work shown in the UK, USA, South Africa, Spain, Germany, Croatia, and at the St. Petersburg Biennale, Russia.

  • 2006 University of Glasgow: PhD, History of Art

    1994 – 1996 Glasgow School of Art: Master of Fine Art

    1990 -1994 Napier University, Edinburgh: BA Hons. Photography, Film & Television

    1993 Fachakademie für Fotodesign, Munich.

    1976 - 1979 Munich College of Building & Design

  • Polaroid Ltd

    National Health Trust, Scotland

    Schlossmuseum Murnau, Germany

    Majdanek Museum, Lublin, Poland

    Staffordshire University

    Work held in private collections in Scotland, England, Germany and USA

  • 1997 - 2019 Research and Knowledge Exchange Awards: Edinburgh College of Art, The University of Edinburgh

    2004 Scottish Arts Council

    1997 Hope Scott Grant

    1994 Agfa Bursary Award

    1992 Napier University Enterprise Fund

  • Commission from the City Art Centre, Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh Greenbelt Trust to produce work with a group of 5th-year students from Linlithgow High School for the exhibition A View of Edinburgh, on show during the Edinburgh Festival 1995.

    Fotofeis Commission to work with a group of final-year student at Hunter High School, East Kilbride which resulted in the production of 7 large scale photograms to be used as a backdrop for a modern dance piece, 1995.

    Documentation of the making of a large-scale sculptural work by Tim Stead, resulting in an exhibition and possible publication, commissioned by Edinburgh District Council.

    Other commissions include work for an Edinburgh Festival Theatre brochure and photography for Art in Partnership presentation of the Edinburgh-Glasgow M8 Sculpture Project, as well as Alzheimer Scotland annual report and work for The Times educational supplement .

  • 2003 IRIS / SAPERE Project (Education Pack)

    1998 Visual arts reviews on The Usual Suspects, BBC Radio Scotland

  • 2019 FLOW II, Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto

    2018 FLOW I, Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto

    2011 Hybrids, Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto

    2011 Small Measures, Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto

    2009 Interference, 511 Gallery, New York

    2008/9 Transitaria, Kirkcaldy Museum & Art Gallery, Kirkcaldy

    2007 Transitaria, Amber Roome Contemporary Art, Edinburgh

    2006 Hybrids. 511 Gallery, New York

    2003 Soap and Water, Miller/Geisler Gallery, New York

    2002 History, Steet Level Gallery, Glasgow

    2000 Partial View , Edinburgh College of Art

    1998 Partial View, NSA Gallery, Durban, South Africa

    1995 Common Ground: Travels in Space and Time, Chessel’sGallery, Edinburgh, part of FOTOFEIS ‘95 (Collaboration with Hugh Harwood)

    1994 Gelobtes Land, Schlossmuseum Murnau, Germany

  • 2017 When The Light Shifts Glasgow Women’s Library.

    2017 After The Fall The Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

    2015 Red Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto, Japan

    2015 Lux Shifter Summerhall, Edinburgh.

    2015 Surface Tension Street Level Photoworks, Glasgow.

    2014 2014 Frames: Projecting International Photography (screenings), coinciding with Glasgow International.

    2013 Leave The Capitol The Fleming Collection, London

    2013 Nostalgias: Visualising Longing Pie Factory Gallery, Margate

    2013 Past Forward: Alternative Processes in Contemporary Photography Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh

    2012 Animal Territories The Roslin Institute, Edinburgh

    2012 Smoke and Water Rothes Halls, Glenrothes, Fife and Lochgelly Centre, Fife.

    2011 Three Artists from Edinburgh: Anne Bevan, Liz Adamson, Susanne Ramsenthaler Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto

    2011 New Work Audale Gallery, Edinburgh

    2009 The Scottish Show Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville; Art Gallery at the University of Maryland

    2009 Science And Nature 511 Gallery, Lake Placid, USA

    2008 Digital VD Rosenberg Gallery, MICA, Baltimore, USA and Printmakers Workshop, Edinburgh

    2008 Transitaria Marine Biology Institute, Plymouth

    2008 Ten Decades City Art Center, Edinburgh and The Fleming Collection, London

    2008 Click Chicks The Contemporary, Dallas, USA

    2008 The Scottish Show Donna Beam Gallery, University of Las Vegas, USA

    2007 Digital_VD The Ice Box, Crane Art Center, Philadelphia; Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto; Dundee Contemporary Arts Dundee and Edinburgh College of Art

    2007 Less Is More 511 Gallery, New York

    2007 Optica International Festival of Video Art, Gijon, Spain

    2007 CODE SLSA, Portland, Maine, USA

    2007 Eight Colours Galerie Weissraum, Kyoto

    2006 SSA on Screen Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh; Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen; Threshold Artspace, Perth; Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh and Glasgow Film Theatre

    2006 Uneasy Spaces Washington Square East Galleries, New York City

    2005 Eight Colours Edinburgh College of Art

    2004 PAVILION : Intermix 04 Leeds International Film Festival

    2004 DRIFT National & International Touring Programme at New Media Scotland; Stills Gallery, Edinburgh; Videomedeja, Novi Sad, Yugoslavia; British Council, Belgrade and An Tuireann Arts Centre, Isle of Skye.

    2004 Supernature DNA Gallery, Burton-on-Trent

    2003 Focus-Pocus: Fact & Fiction in Contemporary Photography The Beaker Gallery, Tampa, Florida

    2002 Eyes to The Horizon Napier University Gallery, Edinburgh

    2002 SENEF Film Festival Seoul, Korea

    2002 Invitational Point Gallery, Omaha, USA

    2001 International Festival of New Film Split, Croatia

    2001 Realism Point Gallery, Omaha, USA

    2001 CADE 2001 Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow

    2001 Sum of Parts Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh

    2000 Viewfinder Southside Arts, Southampton

    2000 2-3-4-D Point Gallery, Omaha, USA

    2000 The Future Stroud House Gallery, Stroud

    2000 Chocolate Cartwright Hall Museum & Art Gallery, Bradford

    1999 Dialogues ‘99 Manege, St.Petersburg (Biennale), Russia

    1999 Weimarnehmung ‘99 Weimar, Germany

    1999 Browsing 2 The Changing Room, Stirling

    1999 Chocolate Sotheby’s (Saatchi & Saatchi & Co) London; An Lanntair, Stornoway; Inverness Museum & Art Gallery; Newcastle under Lyme Museum & Art Gallery; Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries; Mansfield Museum & Art Gallery and Tweeddale Museum, Peebles.

    1998 Chocolate Collins Gallery, Glasgow; Rochdale Museum & Art Gallery; St. Fergus Gallery, Wick; Swanson Gallery, Thurso; Royal Horticultural Centre, London; Buckinghamshire County Museum, Aylesbury.

    1997 Made in Glasgow De Markten Arts Centre, Brussels

    1996 Orange Museu de la Taronja, Borriana, Spain

    1996 New Visions Film, Video & Media Festival, Glasgow

    1996 Lemmings On The March Glasgow School of Art

    1995 Touch And Go Street Level Gallery, Glasgow

    1994 Resourceful Women Flaxman Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent

    1994 Independent Views Chessel Gallery, Edinburgh

    1993 Forum 2 Stills Gallery, Edinburgh

    1993 Restricted Space Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore, USA

    1992 M8 Chessel Gallery, Edinburgh; A Stills-on-Tour Exhibition touring Scotland for one year.

    1989 Portrayal Portfolio Gallery, Edinburgh

    1988 Open Land Portfolio Gallery, Edinburgh

  • 2022 Surveying the Anthropocene: Environment and Photography Now, ed. Patricia Macdonald, Edinburgh University Press ISBN: 978-1838382230

    2019 Traces Collaboration with Alphonso Lingis, edition of 100

    2016 We Are the Camera: On the Making and Reading of Photographic Images paper in: The International Journal of Visual Design

    2016 A Question of Semblance: Icon versus Index paper in: Is It Real? Structuring Reality by Means of Signs, Cambridge Scholars Publishing

    2013 Past Forward: Alternative Processes in Contemporary Photography in: ‘Knowledge exchange in Edinburgh College of Art

    2012 Glowing Evidence: Photograms - the Dark Side of Photography paper in ‘Limes: Borderland Studies’; Francis & Taylor

    2009 Susanne Ramsenthaler: Transitaria; with contributions by Anna Crowe, Steve Hughes, Alphonso Lingis and Alistair Potter; Kirkcaldy Museum&Art Gallery

    2008 The Scottish Show: Exhibition catalogue by University of Nevada, Las Vegas; essay by Tom Normand

    2008 Light Reversal: Photograms – Hybrids of Vision and Touch: in New Realities: Being Syncretic; Springer Wien, New York

    2007 Digital VD: DVD with Essays by James Williams and Jonny Murray, The Hungry Dog Press, ISBN: 978-0-9541412-5-7

    2007 The Minigraph Series: Photographic Interventions at Street Level Photoworks and their critical writings 2001-2007, Street Level, Glasgow. ISBN: 978-1-897723-05-0

    2006 Susanne Ramsenthaler: Bloom, Photonews, July/August 2006

    2006 Crossing The Atlantic: Exhibition Catalogue, pub. The Steinhardt School, NYU, New York

    2006 SSA On Screen: Exhibition Catalogue, Society of Scottish Artists

    2002 Susanne Ramsenthaler; The Secret Language of Dumb Things: Essay by Roberta McGrath; Street Level Gallery Publication, Glasgow

    2000 Portfolio : The Catalogue of Contemporary Photography in Britain, # 31, June 2000

    1999 Dialogues ‘99, exhibition catalogue, pub: Manege, St. Petersburg, Russia

    1998 SCI-ART ‘98 , exhibition & proposals catalogue, The Wellcome Trust, London

    1998 Some Basic Concepts : review by Jeff Chandler, Sunday Tribune, Sept. 20, Durban, SA

    1998 Partial View, Artist’s book (edition of 200)

    1998 Chocolate , exhibition catalogue with an essay by Frances McKee, Collins Gallery, Glasgow

    1997 Pinhole Journal: European Images II, Vol.13#2, USA

    1997 Made In Glasgow, exhibition catalogue with essays by Sam Ainsley and Francis McKee, Normal, Glasgow

    1995 Fotofeis ‘95 ; Catalogue p. 157, pub: Fotofeis ISBN 09521396 26

    1993 Gelobtes Land, exhibition catalogue & essay, Schlossmuseum Murnau, Germany

    1993 Fusion One , catalogue of student work to coincide with FOTOFEIS, Scotland’s first International Photography Festival.

  • 2013 Event Organiser: Past Forward: Alternative Processes in Contemporary Photography Exhibition and Symposium, Edinburgh College of Art.

    2013 Paper: International Semiotic Conference: [Is It Real?]

    2013 ‘Structuring Reality by Means of Signs’, Ankara, Turkey.

    2012 Paper: Representations: Struggles for Reality, Montreal.

    2011 Artist’s talk Seika University, Kyoto

    2011 Paper: Glowing Evidence: Photograms: The Dark Side of Photography at Vizuality 2011: Interactions of Creativity and Image; Vilnius, Lithuania

    2010 Academic: External panel member. Validation for ‘Integrated masters in Creative Media Practice’, Sheffield Hallam University

    2007-2008 Paper: Light Reversal: Photograms – Hybrids of Vision and Touch at Consciousness Reframed 9: Being Synchretic; Vienna, Austria,

    2008 Paper: Mind the Gap: On Distance and Representation at Code: SLSA Conference, Portland, Maine

    2007 Artist’s talk at Maryland Institute, College of Art, Baltimore

    2003-2007 Artist’s talk: Uneasy Spaces Seminar, The Steinhardt School, New York University; Paper ‘Do Not Touch: Memory Between Vision and Touch’ at The Afterlife of Memory: Memoria, Historia, Amnesia, University of Leeds; Paper ‘Face-off: Beauty and the Beast’ at Monsters & The Monstrous, Budapest; Paper: ‘Playing at Distance: Photographic Perception and the Aspect of Touch’ at Visual Knowledges, Edinburgh University

    2000-2002 Paper: ‘Degrees of Transformation’ at ‘Magic’ Conference, Glasgow University; Artist Talk Street Level Gallery, Glasgow; Visiting Lecturer Napier University, Edinburgh

    1999 Professional Panel Member, MA Validation, Sunderland University, Sunderland

    1999 Part-time lecturer, Napier University,Edinburgh

    1998 Visiting Lecturer Technikon Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, SA

    1998 Artist’s Talk NSA Gallery, Durban, SA

    1997/8 Lecturer: 0.5 Lecturer (Module Leader) in Photography, Napier University, Edinburgh

    1997 Visiting Lecturer: Technikon Natal, Duban, SA M.L. Sultan Technikon, Durban, SA

    1997 Artist’s Talk / Workshops: NSA Gallery, Durban SA; Market Photography Workshop, Johannesburg, SA; Artist’s Proof Studio, Johannesburg, SA and Napier University, Edinburgh

    1996 Undergraduate Teaching: Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow

    1996 Artist’s Talk / Workshops: Hospitalfield House, Arbroath

    1996 Napier University, Edinburgh

    1995 Visiting Lecturer: Moray House College, Edinburgh

    1995 Artist’s Talk / Workshops: Street Level Gallery, Glasgow; Moray House College, Edinburgh

    1995 Projects: Linlithgow Academy, Linlithgow; Hunter High School, East Kilbride

    1994 Artist’s Talk / Workshops: Moray House College, Edinburgh; Grindlay Court Centre, Edinburgh

    1993 Artist’s Talk / Workshops: Stills Gallery, Edinburgh; Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh ; Moray House College, Edinburgh

    1991/2 Artist’s Talk / Workshops: Portfolio Gallery, Edinburgh; Moray House College, Edinburgh

  • 1997 Present Tense: Photoworks from South Africa, Andrew Grant Gallery, Edinburgh College of Art

    1994 Women Photographers, Contact Gallery, Edinburgh (to coincide with Signals Festival)

    1992/3 Fusion One. Co-publisher of this substantial catalogue of student work to coincide with FOTOFEIS, Scotland’s first International Photography Festival.