“Salmagundi” is Sue Real’s “goddess statement”. She made it during “the peak prime” of her life. It is about strength and power and feeling that you are naturally equipped to move mountains. “My take-away from childbirth was that my body knew exactly what to do at exactly the right time; and all I needed to do was relax and let the gears go into motion. I marveled at the fact that you could go your entire life without ever needing to use the mechanics of childbirth. Yet, there it all was, programmed perfectly into the works; ready to spring into action when you needed it.” The title was chosen after the work was completed and was inspired by its the richness of textures and colors, which reminded the artist of the â??Salmagundiâ?? tins that she had seen that held Whitmanâ??s chocolates around the turn of the twentieth century.

The vintage shadow boxes of Sue Real, wife of the celebrated sculptor Mark Prent, are made using found objects that are placed under glass-fronted antique frames that she has turned into shadowboxes to create an otherworldly original work. The narratives of the shadow boxes are intended to be deliberately elusive, as the artist’s intention is to mystify herself as well as the viewer. Her narratives are not always built as shadow-boxes but sometimes take the form of little rooms or tiny houses where the inhabitants struggle against something that is not quite right. Sue Real’s use of found everyday objects is akin to the complex, mysterious, and fanciful shadowboxes of Joseph Cornell, one of the pioneers of assemblage art of the twentieth-century. The artistâ??s preference for found objects comes from her interest in environmental issues and advocacy. Sue Real has been creating one of a kind shadow boxes for the past twenty years, mainly as presents for friends and family. Since all of the works are highly personal, they have not been public exhibited until now.

Real was educated at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada. She was awarded the Canada Council Exploration Grant for two consecutive years, 1983 & 1984. Her artwork has been exhibited in Canada and in Europe; and her work is in the public collections of the Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, Canada, the Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, Canada, and the Berlinische Gallery, Berlin, Germany. Sue Real currently resides in St. Albans, Vermont.