The Navelgazer: Sitting with Sculptor CARO to Talk Bodies, Machines, and Everything In-between.
Words: Veronika Shulman | Pictures: Camille Delaune
CARO is a sculptor and all-around brilliant artist whose solo show THE NAVELGAZER opened this weekend and continues through June 6 at MY PET RAM in New York City on the Lower East Side. We sat down at at Capri Club, one of our favourite local watering holes in Eagle Rock (Los Angeles), to talk about work & life.
Polyester: Hi Caro! Your show’s press release tells us that, “CARO approaches this theft of time, dreams, and the psyche through the aesthetic of a seemingly innocuous beachscape.” What is your dream economy/society? What does it look/feel like?
CARO: I think for me, more than anything else it’s a matter of de-coupling desire from capitalism. And then trying to figure out what to do with the global panopticon in which we’re enmeshed. Postmodern thought is the framework of neoliberalism so we have to unpick; we’ve been sold this false narrative of hyper-individualism, which engenders a kind of psychic violence. I hope that soon we might return to an endemic understanding of ourselves as communal and that we might learn to grow for sustenance rather than material accumulation.
The show is, among other things, a commentary on leisure. You write that “the body is idealised insofar as it resembles the machine.” Leisure is so tempting, so alluring, but is there ever such a thing as leisure in late-stage capitalism?
Post-Fordism and the Internet have really skewed our relationship to rest, yet I think in leisure and in boredom, we do our most interesting thinking. We are imaginative and creative. I worry that in this attention economy, we are over-saturated and can’t connect to this kind of free-thinking. And of course, it benefits capitalism to keep us unconscious. Imagine an entire populace of self-determining people! We certainly wouldn’t work like we do now.
Who are some of your greatest inspirations?
Mark Fisher, hands down. That’s my guy. There’s also Byung-Chul Han and Silvia Federici. Critchley on Mysticism. Marx of course. Marcuse’s Eros and Civilization. I listen to a lot of philosophy while I work.
Who are your favourite artists?
I love Joseph Yaeger, Pipilotti Rist, Jean Nipon, Vermeer……..oh my gosh, so many, all my friends!
What do you do to unwind?
I cycle everyday, which honestly makes me euphoric. I also watch Love is Blind on 1.5 speed.
Who or what is your greatest fear?
I’m not particularly concerned with fear. I don’t really have a fear of death. As you know, I was very premature when I was born; three months early in the sign of Scorpio. I was under two pounds. I wonder if it affects my work and life, that I maybe could have slipped the veil.
What (in your opinion) is the best city in the world for art?
Oh my goodness, it depends!!!! Each city prioritises different things. For the market/energy/atmosphere I’d say New York but for my particular taste, I’d say Paris. Paris has a deep relationship to craft and embroidery specifically.
What is your wildest dream for your current show?
I try to temper my expectations; otherwise, I am over-attached to outcome. But, I will say I am proud of myself for finishing the work and excited for people to see it in-person – to feel its sensual quality and libidinal essence (things that just don’t translate over Instagram).
When you think of an idea for a piece, how do you know to trust it?
I don’t always, but the good ones tend to stay with me. And sometimes they’re ephemeral or vague but I think in process they take on value. I rarely remember my dreams, but the ideas come to me like visions and then, in working so many hours, they take on shape, form, structure, and meaning. The meaning is created over time – by repetition, by devotion, by hand.
Do you think there is hope for us, as a society?
I actually really do.
