Alexandra Carter

Alexandra Carter Artist Statement 

My work is an exploration of the psyche in the form of painting and drawing influenced by print media, collage, and performance. While riffing on themes of gender, fairytale, and masquerade, I play with the relationship between control and catharsis, visualizing the body coming out of itself, exposing not only one’s guts but one’s internal state – one’s emotions, one’s craziness – in a way that can seem both pleasurable and painful. I draw from my personal background (especially my origins on a cranberry farm in New England) as well as literature, mythology, dance, and costume.

 My subject matter derives from a large archive of images which I collect and also create from my own performances. Recent interests include expressionist dance movements (specifically German Neuer Tanz and Japanese Butoh), mythological human-animal hybrids, and the words of surrealist artist Unica Zürn. I use alternative media and surfaces to emphasize a visceral mark. The spill of ink on nonporous, translucent drafting film (aka mylar) refers back to the body permeating beyond its own boundaries. The fluid is juxtaposed with collage elements; using solvents and other transfer methods I directly appropriate reference images from my archive.

In recent installations, I suspend works throughout a space, making use of their translucency and presenting them as double-sided paintings that immerse the viewer in their own world. In other series, I paint using cranberry juice, which refers to my background and to the body in an abject narrative. I exploit the staining effect of the juice on antique linens or pillowcases.

See Alexandra discuss her work and practice.