Nathan Carter Will I Find Rosae Kiss-Me-Curls Upon Curvy Channels If I Navigate Through Regions Infernal?, 2023

Will I Find Rosae Kiss-Me-Curls Upon Curvy Channels If I Navigate Through Regions Infernal?, 2023 consists of a coral red armature of intersecting curving lines appearing as a sinuous thoroughfare in which a multitude of small metal elements hang suspended. The sculpture playfully combines delicate linear elements reminiscent of celestial bodies and a multitude of suspended whimsical, soft abstract and half-moon shapes. Continuing his characteristic DIY aesthetic, the small cut-outs are hand painted and dangle mobile-like from fine metal wires. The sculptural work employs a formal language that alludes to feminine anatomy and floral forms.

The artist’s new language of forms is endowed with highly charged emotional content and symbolic associations that refer to the driving force of his contemporary work, his exploration of queer, trans-identity through MARS The Goddess of Sex and Death. Since 2020, the artist conjures and channels her as “the woman who I am” in séance-like photo sessions.

For Carter the very language of forms is personal: every work's curve, color and flourish become a subversive, revelatory act, a claim on self-determination. In this sense, the reference to maps and star charts from earlier bodies of works continues to be relevant, but the subject of this search has become manifest.