Alexandra Carter, a world-renowned visual artist from San Diego, dives into her creative journey shaped by her cranberry farm upbringing. She discusses the compelling themes of fertility and maternity in her work. The conversation touches on her transition from traditional artistry to provocative expressions, balancing motherhood with her career, and the influence of personal experiences on her creations. Carter also highlights the significance of artist residencies and the sensory connections in her large-scale pieces, like using cranberry juice in her art.
Alexandra Carter's artistic journey evolved from traditional figurative art to expressive themes addressing identity and motherhood influenced by her personal experiences.
Her incorporation of cranberries as a symbol intertwines agriculture with femininity, reflecting both nurturing aspects and personal challenges related to fertility.
Carter's self-representational approach highlights the complexities of motherhood, merging her identity with her daughter's while exploring the 'monstrous feminine' in her artwork.
Deep dives
The Artistic Journey of Alexandra Carter
Alexandra Carter's artistic evolution began with traditional figurative drawing and painting, but she shifted towards more expressive and confrontational themes during her time in college. Her early works featured violent and angsty imagery, often involving female figures in surreal and intense situations, which initially shocked her family. As she matured as an artist, Carter found a balance, integrating her edgy style with a deeper exploration of identity, particularly through the lens of motherhood, as influenced by her personal experiences and the challenges of fertility. This transformation allowed her to weave her upbringing on a cranberry farm into her art, creating layers of meaning that reflect both her roots and contemporary female experiences.
Cranberries as a Central Theme
Cranberries play a pivotal role in Carter's artwork, serving as a symbol of both agricultural fertility and personal identity. Growing up in an environment dominated by cranberry farming, she draws parallels between the cycles of nature and the reproductive aspects of femininity. This connection led her to merge imagery of cranberries with the female body, utilizing the fruit as a metaphor for nurturing and sustenance. Her paintings have evolved to incorporate visuals of cranberries as elements of motherhood and fertility, during a personal journey that included infertility treatments.
Self-Representation in Art
Carter frequently uses her own body as a model in her artwork, which enables her to enact specific ideas and concepts inherent to her paintings. By combining her background in performance art with her painting practice, she expresses a unique perspective that highlights the authenticity of her experiences. This method also allows her to directly connect with the themes she portrays, emphasizing the physicality and emotional heft of the female form. Her self-representational approach extends to incorporating her daughter into her works, merging their identities and experiences into the artistic narrative.
Exploring the Monstrous Feminine
Carter's exploration of the 'monstrous feminine' introduces a nuanced view of motherhood, portraying it as a complex experience fraught with both beauty and chaos. Drawing inspiration from film theory and feminist analysis, she reflects on how the transformation into motherhood can evoke feelings of monstrosity due to the physical and emotional challenges it encompasses. Her paintings feature powerful female figures that embody protective yet ferocious qualities, suggesting an intrinsic connection between maternal instincts and primal forces. This thematic investigation has not only influenced her visual language but has also allowed her to engage in broader conversations about female empowerment and identity.
The Role of Residencies and Community in Art
Artistic residencies play a crucial role in Carter's development, as they provide her with the necessary space and resources to create new works while connecting with other artists. Through various residencies, she has been able to travel internationally, drawing inspiration from diverse cultures and integrating those experiences into her pieces. For example, her time in Finland became a period of artistic fertilization, allowing her to further explore the interplay of motherhood and her artistic identity. These collaborative environments not only fuel her creativity but also solidify her place within a supportive artistic community.
Alexandra Carter (b. 1985 in Boston) lives and works in San Diego, California. She received an MFA from Goldsmiths University of London in 2015 and a BA from Rhodes College in Memphis in 2009. Recent solo exhibitions include "Bumps & Grinds" at Rogers Gallery in Las Vegas, "A Sense of Heat in Her Brain" at Luna Anaïs Gallery in Los Angeles, "Berries for Baubo" at Radiant Space in Los Angeles, and "Tether" (duo show) at Oolong Gallery in Solana Beach, CA. Other solo exhibitions include Fusion Gallery (Turin, Italy), Southfork (Memphis), Projecto’ace Foundation (Buenos Aires), and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. She has been selected for residency projects nationally and internationally, including the Kone Foundation’s Saari Residence (Finland), Rogers Art Loft (Las Vegas), KulturKontakt Austria (Vienna), Qwatz (Rome), Graniti Murales (Sicily), Vice~Versa Foundation (Goa, India), RECSIM (Jashipur, India), Galerija-Muzej Lendava (Slovenia), and the Kentucky Foundation for Women (Prospect, KY).
Her website: https://www.alexandra-carter.com
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