James Carl was born in Montréal, Québec in 1960. He earned his MFA from Rutgers University and has degrees from McGill, the University of Victoria and the Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing. His work is in public and private collections across North America and Europe including the National Gallery of Canada. Currently, he is Professor of Studio Art at the University of Guelph. Carl lives in Toronto.
For nearly thirty years Toronto based sculptor James Carl has been crafting small and large-scale sculptures from a wide variety of materials ranging from cardboard and marble to most recently, venetian blinds. The notions of craft and labour have been at the root of his studio practice and have set the conceptual framework for his work that ranges from powerful and ironic critiques of globalization and consumerism to celebrations of early and mid 20th century modern sculpture.
Artwork description
Jalousie is part of a series of sculptures Carl started in 2006, made of venetian blinds woven into a triaxial pattern. The shapes call to mind modernist biomorphic abstraction, while their models suggest a more ancient geometry and plastic technique. The series was named after the French word for horizontal blinds, used as a loan word in certain English and German dialects.
Like most of Carl’s works, these sculptures emerged from the meeting of materials and ideas. Their careful design creates a complex visual experience that highlights sculpture’s role as a tool inspiring reflection and social communication.