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Email PageNever Enough
January 1, 2008- February 29, 2008
Carrie Elston
Dinter Fine Art
Project Room: Online Exhibition"I explore the concept of instability through paintings, sculpture, and photography. This work addresses chronic mental illness as well as isolated moments of elation by alternately representing internal turmoil and joy through abstract visceral images. I am attempting to capture internal and external struggle by focusing on the moments when normalcy gives way to malady, revealing a certain natural beauty common to the human experience.
My work about mental instability intentionally touches on the age-old question of the relationship between creativity and insanity: Does mental instability lead to creative genius, or does creativity conjure up madness? There is a history of madness and inner turmoil in artists throughout time, from Van Gogh's supposed bipolarity to Pollock's depression. This trend is present in the histories of literature and music as well. I am interested in questioning the link between madness and creativity, as well as taking a subtly comic approach, where the artist is so overwhelmed by her creative insanity that she actually paints mental disorders. I am engaged in a serious exploration of the instability that is present in artistic minds, while at the same time poking fun at the cliché of the crazy artist.
In addition to referencing the history of mental disorder in the world of art, I investigate feelings of inadequacy and megalomania that any 'stable' person might experience, and in doing so I am questioning the very concept of stability as attributed to a person's mental state. My work recognizes the presence of abnormality in each individual, and with this acknowledgment I seek to break down the stigmas that surround people who do not pretend to be perfect - people who admit vulnerability and weakness. My work addresses and magnifies the imperfections inherent in being human.
This project 'Never Enough' looks at the struggles and pleasures that occur throughout a person's day. It explores feelings of insufficiency, mental disorder, desire, guilt, and joy, as they alternate regularly in the natural thought process of the mind."
Carrie Elston
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