Burmese Monk Painting

In 1980, Ms. Suryawan received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In 1978, RISD awarded Suryawan with acceptance into their honors program in Rome, Italy, which marked the beginning of her lifelong interest in diverse cultures of the world. She pursued this attraction through studies and travels in Italy, Egypt, Tunisia, Greece and the West Indies before settling in Bali, Indonesia in 1980. Bali was the artist’s primary residence for 22 years where she drew inspiration from its rich culture and incredible natural beauty. In this land of beauty and dignity, Ms. Suryawan realized that life among the people of Bali was the most harmonious collaboration between man and nature that she had ever witnessed. This perfect harmony would come to influence her paintings as well as her philosophies. It was in Bali that Ms. Suryawan met and married her Chinese-Balinese husband, Wana Suryawan. Mr. Suryawan was a teacher of Persai Diri, the martial art form based in Indonesia with origins in the Shaolin temples of China. They lived together in Bali with their three lovely children Putu Agustina, Made Nava and Komang Bayusana until Wana Suryawan’s sudden death in 1999. In October of 2002, Bali experienced the largest terrorist bombing after 9/11. The climate in Bali changed dramatically overnight, leading Ms. Suryawan to leave her home of 22 years to establish residence in Los Angeles. After settling Suryawan began to explore again, drawing and painting inspiration from the landscapes and people that she encountered. Her travels include: Tulum, Palangue and San Cristóbal de las Casas (Mexico); La Gran Sabana and Roraima (Venezuela); Can Serrat Artist Residency in Monserrat (Catalonia); Tourrettes-sur-Loup (France); Morocco; La Paz (Bolivia); Lake Titicaca (Bolivia/Peru); Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu (Peru); Moonscape (Brazil); Bogotá and Ciudad Perdida (Colombia). Soosan Suryawan's paintings are held in important private collections in Paris, Geneva, Basil, Zurich, Amsterdam, Washington DC, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, and at the Lorin Christy Gallery in Singapore. Parisian art dealer Agnes Verrier (who was at the time working at the Opera gallery in Singapore) represented Ms. Suryawan privately.