Suzanna Chan

Suzanna Chan is a Lecturer in Art & Design at the Belfast School of Art, Ulster University. She teaches art history and theory across multiple programs including the foundation course, BA fine art, Masters of fine art, and supervises PhD students at the Belfast campus located at 2-24 York Street, Belfast.

Dr. Chan has a background that bridges artistic practice and academic scholarship. After working and exhibiting as an artist with a primary focus on painting, she completed her PhD in 2002. Her academic journey reflects a deep engagement with both creative practice and theoretical inquiry, bringing practical experience to her teaching and research.

Her research interests span contemporary and modern art and cultural practices, with particular focus on feminist, postcolonial, poststructuralist, and psychoanalytical theories. Dr. Chan is currently completing a book exploring aesthetic, ethical, historical and political relations between migration, diaspora and contemporary art by women. Her published works include numerous articles and book chapters examining articulations and representations of identity, gender, 'race', history and place in art and cultural practices.

Dr. Chan's publications demonstrate consistent engagement with themes of identity, borders, and representation across nearly two decades of scholarly work. Her research shows particular interest in how contemporary artists engage with political and social issues, especially regarding migration, borders, and gender. She has produced significant scholarship on artists like Ellen Gallagher and Chantal Akerman, analyzing how their work engages with issues of migration, borders, and sexual difference through innovative theoretical frameworks.

She served on the Higher Education Advisory Committee of the Association for Art History from September 2018 to September 2021, contributing to national conversations about art history education. Dr. Chan supervises PhD students and contributes to the academic community through her research and teaching, with her work contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to gender equality and reduced inequalities.