Suzy Lake
SUZY LAKE "MY FRIEND TOLD ME I HAD CARRIED TOO MANY STONES #2" 1994
Suzy Lake (b. 1947) is a pioneering Canadian conceptual artist whose photography and performance have explored identity, gender, the body, and social power.
Lake's early work often placed her own body at the centre of investigations into representation and authority. By using post-production strategies as well as costumes, make-up or props, she morphs into characters like Miss Chatelaine, a Spice Girl or Dirk Bogarde to explore ideas including beauty, femininity, identity and aging.
During the 1980s, Lake shifted toward more direct forms of political activism, temporarily removing herself as the subject of her work. In 1994, she returned to self-representation with My Friend Told Me I Carried Too Many Stones and Re-Reading Recovery, turning toward the experiences of ageing, maturity, and the changing body.
In "My Friend Told Me I Carried Too Many Stones #2," Lake wears a thin cotton slip, her body partially concealed within an image of a crumbling wall. The garment suggests both vulnerability and protection, while the damaged surface stands as a metaphor for accumulated experience and transformation. Lake’s figure appears to scratch or peel at the wall, creating a tension between the body and its surroundings.
The photograph itself is layered with a smaller image of the same wall, producing a strange and literal sense of recession and enclosure. This interplay of peeling and layering is central to the work, suggesting both the residue of the past and the possibility of moving beyond it. As Lake described the work, her practice at this point moved toward a quieter form of empowerment, with “the beginning of the voice over resistance.”
This work belongs to a series of the same name. The group of images marked a significant shift in her practice, as she began using the ageing female body not as a symbol of decline but as a site of experience, maturity, and agency.
Suzy Lake has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, most recently in the significant exhibition WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution at P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, in New York. In 2014, she was the focus of a career spanning retrospective at the Art Gallery of Ontario, with a substantial book titled Introducing Suzy Lake.
Lake’s work is held in major Canadian collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Canada Council Art Bank, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography.
Questions about this piece? Contact us or call +1.416.704.1720
"My Friend Told Me I Had Carried Too Many Stones #2"
Canada, 1994
Chromogenic print construction
Signed in pencil, lower right corner
19.25"H 15.25"W (work)
20.5"H 16.5"W (framed)
Very good condition
Provenance: Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa; private collection, Toronto
Literature: Suzy Lake: Life & Work by Erin Silver, Art CAnada Institute (visit the e-book here)
Note: the price is $4000 CAD
- Where does the inventory ship from?
Our inventory is divided between New York and Toronto.
- Where do you ship to?
We can ship anywhere. Typically when we ship within North America we prefer to use FedEx or DHL. To Europe, Asia and beyond we generally use DHL.
- How much does it cost to ship?
For shipments within North America, we typically charge a flat rate fee. Many items on our site will list the rate. For shipping outside of North America, we can easily provide a quote and will look for the most efficient and economical option.
Most of the items on our site can be easily shipped internationally.
Occasionally we will recommend that an artwork be removed from its frame for shipping. Larger framed works are typically framed with plexiglass. We export over 80% of what we sell, so we are comfortable shipping anywhere.
- Are there additional taxes or fees?
When a work is valued above $2,500 usd there is a possibility of tax of 0.35%, but this is applied sporadically. There can similarly be an additional fee for customs brokerage and this can range from $20 - $65. US Taxes, duties and customs brokerage are not included in our flat rate shipping. However most of our shipments to the US enter without any additional fees.
- Do you provide a certificate of authenticity?
Yes, we guarantee everything we sell. We can provide both a digital and printed version of our certificate of authenticity.
What is your return policy?
- Caviar20 wants you to be 100% satisfied with your purchase. We have a 7 day no-questions full refund return policy for your purchase. Shipping charges are non-refundable. Return shipping is the responsibility of the customer. After 8 days returns are given a credit note. There is no expiration for our credit notes.
- What payment methods do you accept?
Canadian clients are welcomed and encouraged to pay with interac.