It’s my way of paying tribute to them and the plants that reclaimed their space. The image of the chairs slowly being taken over by flowers keeps showing up in my artwork, and I think it’ll stay there for a good while. It has always seemed to be a constant power struggle between people and nature, each attempting to rebel against the other.Ī memory that has been resurfacing in my mind recently is that of flowers and weeds climbing up my great grandparents rocking chairs. I relive the memory of viciously plucking weeds from a well-kept garden, and watching tiny flowers push their way through the most inhospitable grounds. It always struck me, especially when you compared it to the “wildness” of the forests and rivers where my cousins and I would roam from sunrise to sunset on my visits to the countryside in the Dominican Republic. They tended to them with an almost supernatural dedication. Photo courtesy of the artist.Ĭlare Gemima: Could you elaborate on any childhood memories that influenced your desire to work with botanical forms, especially since you do so through your use of so many different materials?Ĭarla Perez: As a kid, the women in my family had this deep admiration for carefully manicured gardens filled with exotic flowers. If I could draw anything from these two styles it would be their ability to make the world feel simultaneously defined and abstract. It’s about bringing the sky and the divine closer to us and us closer to it. Similarly to folk art, Gothic art lends a peculiar view to icons, however, in a style that focuses on light, intricate ornamentation, and architecture to create a sense of divine presence and transcendence. There is a beautiful humility in the symbols that artists repeatedly represent in folk art, and I’ve always admired that. When I draw from Dominican Folk art, I do it to gain insight into the customs, stories, and beliefs of my loved ones and my heritage. I find both to be rebellious and subversive narratives. To me, they represent a way to layer the magical, spiritual and natural world over the human condition and create a collage of sorts. When working through curiosities and looking for answers I always find myself re-mystifying the narrative as a way to destabilize or reconfigure what I think others see, versus what we the viewer might see as well.Ĭlare Gemima: In what way do you draw inspiration from Gothic and folk art in your work?Ĭarla Perez: Both Gothic and folk art frequently use symbolism and allegory to convey deeper meanings. In fact, I’ve always had an appetite for fiction and focus heavily on Latin American magical realism, as well as Russian sci-fi because of their ability to question what is real, or how something should feel. How the world affects the body is fascinating. Their artistic languages, often incorporating the human form, have always resonated with me deeply. They have a knack for blending the surreal and the tangible, creating worlds where you can be completely enveloped by emotions and yet grounded by the clues of their life, and their stories-political or familial. Creative minds, such as Louise Bourgeois, Francisco Goya, Marisol Escobar, Kiki Smith, and Ayón Belkis are some of many that have made unique contributions to the imagery, materiality and concept of my pieces. Photo courtesy of Matías Alvial.Ĭlare Gemima: For “Devourer of Sunsets,” what other practitioners, writers, or scholars influenced your research?Ĭarla Perez: I am influenced and inspired by a range of artists and scholars. In speaking to them both, they collectively offer an intimate view into their collaborative process, and, unsurprisingly, share a passion for the future of Perez’s striking work. It was impossible not to want to delve into Perez’s influences, but also her unyielding commitments to her craft, which so naturally locked into Falcón’s curatorial vision. By employing an illuminating, multifaceted and physically demanding material sophistication, the artist uncovers themes of agency, memory, and the interplay between natural and artificial worlds through wax, glass, and other stubborn mediums. In an interview with both artist and curator, Clare Gemima explores the collaborative journey of Carla Perez and Nakai Falcón’s “Devourer of Sunsets,” Perez’s solo showcase which recently ran at Charmoli Ciarmoli in Midtown East in Manhattan. Right: Vase with Flowers with stationery orchids and branches, 2023.
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