Born in Indonesia, Singaporean painter Susan Olij blends observation and abstraction, drawing from her multicultural background. The human figure—whether present or implied—shapes her narrative, especially through its absence. Working across drawing and painting, often en plein air and from life models, she pursues material experimentation that captures spontaneity and movement. By embedding text as communication, she frames travel not as destination but as a way of thinking—meandering through spaces, absorbing shifts in light, sound, and language, seeking the unexpected in nature, architecture, and people. With cinematic sensitivity, her process resists fixed narratives, embracing ambiguity and discovery.
She holds an MA in Fine Arts from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore, and studied Fashion Design at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. She teaches travel sketchbook practice across Singapore and Southeast Asia. Her work has been exhibited in Singapore, Indonesia, France, Spain, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Born: 1974, Malang, Indonesia
Lives & Works: Singapore
Education
LaSalle College of Fine Art/Open University, Singapore – M.A. Fine Arts
Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, USA – Fashion Design & Merchandising
Selected Group Exhibitions
2026
Points of Re-articulation: On the Pedagogical life of drawing, LaSalle College of the Arts, Project Space, Singapore 15 Jan- 28 Feb 2026
Art Picnic, Instinc, Singapore Art Week. 22-31 Jan 2026
2025
Gallery Voxx | Affordable Art Fair Singapore, 13-16 November
Art In the Open, Green Acres Gallery, Wexford, Ireland, 25-27 August
City Roots, Drawing ETC Gallery, 22-27 April
Drawn to Life, Selegie Art Centre, 28 February - 2 March
2024
Lost & Found, Selegie Art Centre, 22-24 November
2023
Memories@58, USK Singapore x URA, 12 August - 14 October
2022
A Garden of Heritage: Landscapes and Landmarks of the Singapore Botanic Gardens
2011
Brainwaves, Robots, and The Flying Bicycle, Instinc Art Space, Singapore
2010
3331 Presents Tokyo, Command N Regional Code Asia Project 3331 Art Chiyoda, Single Channel Screening, Tokyo
Seven Day Weekend, L'Ecole de Beaux Art, Paris, France
2009
Constellations Video Art Project, In Between Spaces Art Collective, Brisbane, Australia
Jia, Post-Museum, Singapore
MEME - Masters of Art Fine Arts Exhibition 2009, ICA Galleries, LaSalle, Singapore
Images of Indonesia, Indonesian Heritage Society, Jakarta, Indonesia
2007
1x1x1 - FOST Annual Exhibition, Fost Gallery, Singapore
Emerging Talent: Four for the Future, Sunjin Galleries, Singapore
2005
Me, Block43 Studio Gallery, Singapore
Solo Exhibitions
2014 Priceless, Artistry, Singapore
2011 Never Odd or Even, Puri Art Gallery, Jakarta
2007 Zerolinguistic - A Solo Exhibition of Concrete Art, Instinc Studio Gallery, Singapore
2006 Undeclared Existence, Pitch Black Gallery, Singapore
Awards & Scholarships
2025 Shortlisted UOB Painting of the year
Longlist Jackson’s Art Prize 2025
2009 Third Prize and Merit Award, Art and Photography Exhibition, Indonesian Heritage Society, Jakarta
2008 LaSalle Scholarship by Merit for MA Fine Art Degree
International Residencies and Workshops
2025 Art in the Open, Plein Air Festival, Wexford, Ireland, 18-25 July
2023 Espacio Lavadero, Granada, Spain
2019 Campos De Gutierrez, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
2014 Centre de Recerca I Creatio Casamarles, Catalonia, Spain
2010 A Window Until the Rains Come, ALBB Saigon Open Studio Program, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
2008 Taipei Drift, International Art Workshop for Art Academia, Taipei, Taiwan
2008 Canserrat International Art Residency, El Bruc, Spain
Professional Experience
2019 - Present
University of the Arts | LaSalle College of the Arts, Short Courses
2006 - Present
Olij Studio – Founder & Educator, Singapore
2010 - 2019
LaSalle College of the Arts, Singapore
Part-Time Lecturer – Fashion Design
Professional Development Lecturer – Fine Art, Drawing & Illustration
1997 - 2006
Halmode Apparel Inc, Head Designer – New York, USA & Singapore