Anyone who shares Beth Carter’s fascination with the human condition must surely embrace the invitation to be found in her body of work. For here, among the richly detailed drawings and careful sculptures, we discover an unfolding meditation on those existential dilemmas that beset us all, and a world of its own in the making. This starkly beautiful and haunting world is both particular and universal, at once strange and immediately familiar, because it so powerfully evokes that forever surprising annex of our own lives: the chambers of our night dreams, our subconscious imaginings, and our performances of gender and personhood.
Carter’s work, with bird-heads and cat-heads appearing as her less predatory take on the Minotaur legend. Cleverly, she can conflate and complicate those classical myths and those of contemporary masculinity at the same time.
Based at the Spike Island studios in Bristol, UK, Beth Carter’s work often morphs the human figure with animal creating mythological creatures and extraordinary fictional compositions. She is additionally represented by galleries in the UK, New York, and Paris and has work in private collections across Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Asia and Australia, and in the permanent collection at the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, France.
Biography
Beth Carter is an artist based at the Spike Island studios in Bristol, UK. Her work often morphs the human figure with animal creating mythological creatures and extraordinary fictional compositions. She is represented by galleries in the UK, New York, Boston and Paris and has work in private collections across Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Asia and Australia, and in the permanent collection at the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, France.
Artist Statement
“Working within the realms of a sculptural tradition where the symbolic use of animal imagery is a potent and continuous source, my work creates allegories by, amongst other things, integrating the human form with animal forms. The resulting imagery holds both a timeless significance and a contemporary relevance despite and because of our separation from the natural world. It is important for me that my sculpture and drawings are accessible on an individual level as well as implicating more archetypal themes common to human experience.”
Academic Achievements
1992-1995 BA (Hons) Fine Art, Sunderland University, UK
1993-1994 Placement at the Cyprus College of Art, Cyprus
1991 Period of study at the Academy of Fine Art, Sofia, Bulgaria
1990-1991 Art Foundation, Bath College of Further Education, UK
Exhibitions, Europe
Mar 2016 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, represented by Beaux Arts Bath
Jan 2016 London Art Fair, Islington, London, represented by Beaux Arts Bath
Oct 2015 ODYSSEY, The Chapel of The House of St Barnabas, Bo. Lee Gallery, London
Sep 2015 Abditory, Bo.Lee Gallery, London
Sep-Oct 2015 Group Exhibition, Beaux Arts Bath, UK
Apr 2015 Minotaur on Box sculpture on display, Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, France
Mar 2015 Dessins du Sculpteurs, Galerie Rauchfeld, Paris
Mar 2015 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, represented by View Art Gallery
Dec 2014 A Christmas Cabinet, Bo.Lee Gallery, The Hepsibah Gallery, London
Nov 2014-Jan The Shining Guest, Solo Exhibition, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Nov 2014 A Lamb in Wolf’s Clothing, Bo.Lee Gallery, Bermondsey, London
Jun-Jul 2014 Odyssey, Bo.Lee Gallery, St Edmund’s in the City, London
Sep 2013 Lucid, Bo.Lee Gallery, Clerkenwell, London
Jul-Aug 2013 Summer Salon, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Jun 2013 Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
May-Jul 2013 A Beautiful Death, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Mar-May 2013 Giant Snails and Tiny Lions, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Mar 2013 Affordable Art Fair, Battersea, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Jan 2013 London Art Fair, Islington, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Nov 2012-Jan True Identity, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Nov 2012 Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Jul-Sep 2012 Summer Salon, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Jul-Sep 2012 Unnatural-Natural History, Royal West of England Academy, Coates & Scarry
Jul 2012 Bloomsbury Art Fair, London, represented by View Art Gallery
Jun 2012 Shadowside, Blackall Studios, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Mar-Apr 2012 Veiled Voyages, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Jan-Mar 2012 Amalgamation, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Jan 2012 Three Kingdoms, Bo Lee Gallery, Bath
Jan 2012 London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Nov-Jan 2012 In Darkness Blooms, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Nov-Jan 2011 Here and Now, View Art Gallery, Bristol
Nov 2011 Crunch Art Fair, Hay-on-Wye, represented by View Art Gallery
Nov 2011 Hunting The Hunted, Bo Lee Gallery, Bath
Nov 2011 Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Oct 2011 Art London Chelsea, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Oct 2011 Solo Show – Leading The Giant, Bo Lee Gallery, Bath
Jun 2011 Darkness to Light, The Octagon Chapel, Bath, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Jan 2011 London Art Fair, Business Design Centre, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Oct 2010 Art of Giving, Group Show and Charity Auction, Saatchi Gallery, London
Oct 2010 Art London Chelsea, London, represented by Bo Lee Gallery
Feb-Apr 2010 Comfortably Strange, View Art Gallery, Bristol
2010 Group Show, Mauger Modern Gallery, Bath/London
2010 Solo Show, Black Swan Arts, Frome
Nov-Dec 2009 Christmas Show, View Art Gallery, Bristol
2009 Group Show, Mauger Modern Gallery, Bath/London
2009 Chichester National, (Selected National Art Competition)
2008 National Open, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol (Award for Works on paper)
2008-2009 Joy Experiment – Cross-artform collective tour, S.W. England
2008 Two person show, Badcocks Gallery, Newlyn, Cornwall
2008 Works on Paper Group Show, The Royal Academy, London
2008 London Art Fair, represented by Four Square Arts, Brighton
2007-2008 Autumn Open Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2006 Beauty and the Beast, Stourhead Gardens, National Trust / ACE, Commission
2006 Solo Show, Queens Street Gallery, Emsworth.
2005-2007 Brighton Art Fair, Glasgow Art Fair, Art London, Dublin Art Fair
2005 Solo show, Badcocks Gallery, Newlyn Cornwall
2005-2008 Group Shows, Plus One Plus Two Gallery, London
2004 Olympia Art Fair, London (Individual Artist Award)
2003 Group Show, No. Six Chapel Row, Contemporary Art Gallery, Bath
2000 148th Selected Open Autumn Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy, Bristol
2000 Wandsworth Arts Festival, Alders & Hobbs Dept. Store Window Exhibition, London.
1999 Milfield Open Exhibition, Group Show, Somerset
1999 Spike Island Launch Exhibition, Bristol
1997 Fabulous Beasts, Group Show, Hampshire Sculpture Trust, Hampshire
1995 Northern Graduate Show 95′, The Royal College of Art, London (Awarded 1st Prize)
Exhibitions, USA
May 2016 Inaugural Exhibition, M Fine Arts Galerie, Boston
Jan 2016 Winter Fête Group Show, Georges Bergès Gallery, New York
Jul-Sep 2015 Winter Collective, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Feb-Mar 2015 Winter Group Show Part 2, Axelle Fine Arts, New York
Jan-Mar 2015 Winter Group Show, Axelle Fine Arts, Boston
Jan 2014 Art Palm Beach, Florida, represented by Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Dec 2014-Jan Winter Collective Part 1, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Aug-Sep 2014 Summer Collective Part 2, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Jul-Aug 2014 Summer Collective Part 1, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Jun-Oct 2014 Summer Group Show, Axelle Fine Arts, New York
Mar-Apr 2014 Solo Exhibition – Dancing with Morpheus, Axelle Fine Arts, Boston
Feb-Mar 2014 Solo Exhibition – Dancing with Morpheus, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Jan-Mar 2014 Winter Collective, Axelle Fine Arts, New York
Nov-Dec 2013 Solo Exhibition – Dancing with Morpheus, Axelle Fine Arts, New York
Aug-Sep 2013 Summer Group Show Part 2, Axelle Fine Arts, Boston
Jul-Aug 2013 Summer Group Show Part 1, Axelle Fine Arts, Boston
Apr-May 2013 Spring Group Show, Axelle Fine Arts, Boston
Mar-Apr 2013 Spring Collective, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Feb-Mar 2013 Winter Group Show, Axelle Fine Arts, New York
Jan 2013 Winter Group Show, Axelle Fine Arts, Boston
Jan-Feb 2013 Winter Group Show, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Jan 2013 Nocturnes: Romancing the Night exhibition, The National Arts Club, New York
Mar-Apr 2012 Spring Group Show, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Nov-Dec 2011 Winter Group Show, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
Feb-Mar 2011 Winter Group Show, Bertrand Delacroix Gallery, New York
2010 Affordable Arts Fair, New York, represented by Will’s Art Warehouse
Other International Exhibitions
Sep 2015 Beirut Art Fair, Galerie Rauchfeld (Paris)
May 2015 Affordable Art Fair, Hong Kong, Bo.Lee Gallery (UK)
May 2012 Art Melbourne, Melbourne, Coates & Scarry (UK)
Awards, Residencies & Research
2007-2009 Research travel, Gambia, Kenya and Tanzania
2006 Two month Residency at Bronze Casting Foundry, in Guadalajara, Mexico
2002 Research travel and work, Womad World of Music and Dance, New Zealand
2000 South West Arts, UK, Individual Artist Award to produce new body of work
1997 Research travel, Sri Lanka and India, studying devotional mythological Sculpture
1996 Northern Arts, UK, Travel Award to Crete
1996 South West Arts, UK, Travel assistance grant
1995 First Prize, Northern Graduates Show The Royal College of Art, London
Press & Publications
Sep 2016 The Bath Magazine, Magazine editorial, Shape-shifters, Beth Carter
Sep 2016 The Bath Magazine online, website, Beth Carter sculpture, http://bit.ly/1W5XQxR
Oct 2015 ArtMusoCreative, Online Magazine, Beth Carter, http://bit.ly/1W5XZkH
Apr 2015 Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, France, Newsletter, http://bit.ly/25dihOm
Dec 2014 Proletarian Art Snob, Blog, Top 10 Solo Shows of 2014, bit.ly/1LBJ7m6
Nov 2014 View Art Gallery, The Shining Guest, The art of Beth Carter, 108pp book,
Nov 2014 Bristol Post, Newspaper, Beth Carter, The Shining Guest, http://bit.ly/1FGijOx
Nov 2014 Tail of Wood, Blog, A Lamb in Wolf’s Clothing, http://bit.ly/1Djs58y
Aug 2014 Great Museums, Elevated Thinking: The High Line in New York City, TV Documentary
Jun 2014 Wall Street International, Web Magazine, Odyssey, http://bit.ly/1youxbk
Jun 2014 The Times, National Newspaper, Image for advertising, Affordable Art Fair
Jun 2014 The Guardian, National Newspaper, Image for advertising, Affordable Art Fair
Jun 2014 London Evening Standard, Newspaper, Image for advertising, Affordable Art Fair
Jun 2014 London underground, Billboard Advertising, Affordable Art Fair Hampstead
Jun 2014 Affordable Art Fair, Website, AAF Hampstead Advertising
Feb 2014 Arte Fuse Website, Beth Carter, Dancing with Morpheus at Bertrand Delacroix Gallery
Feb 2014 Examiner, Blog, Art Listings, Beth Carter, Dancing with Morpheus
Jan 2014 Fine Art Connoisseur, Web Magazine, Beth Carter’s Magical Realism
Oct 2013 Wall Street International, Web Magazine, Beth Carter, Dancing with Morpheus
Sep 2013 Axelle Fine Arts, Gallery Website, The Minotaur of Newbury Street and his visitors
Jan 2013 Innomind.org, ‘Artist Spotlight’ The National Arts Club, NY, http://bit.ly/XDSmLN
Jul 2012 The Arbuturian Magazine (UK) ‘Bloomsbury Art Fair’ review, http://bit.ly/YWrT7G
Jan 2012 View Art Gallery, Amalgamation, exhibition review (video), http://bit.ly/WEt2Xk
Dec 2011 Examiner Blog, Holiday Group Show in Chelsea, review, N.Y. http://exm.nr/15ImuaL
Sep 2011 Creative Boom, Leading the Giant, review, http://bit.ly/YU6Tlk
Feb 2011 The Second Hanging, Chelsea Galleries – Part 2, http://bit.ly/ZBEmSE
Dec 2010 Coates and Scarry, Blog, Beth Carter’s Internal World, http://bit.ly/13PXOPa
Dec 2010 Juxtapoz Magazine, Beth Carter’s Internal World, http://bit.ly/XDUJyb
Feb 2010 View Art Gallery Comfortably Strange, exhibition review, http://bit.ly/ZBGpq5
Dec 2009 Imagine – Own Art, BBC (UK) Television, work featured Winter 2009, Episode 3 of 6
Oct 2008 Metro Newspaper (UK), Darkness reigns at Bristol Contemporary, http://bit.ly/Yo5FLU
2008 Royal Opera House, London, image promoting The Minotaur, Sir Harrison Birtwhistle
2008 Muse magazine, article on work
2004-2012 Who’s Who In Art Directory, entries in 2004-12 publications
2003 Decode magazine, article on work
Projects
2015 Private commission of life-size bronze figure, UK
2008-2009 Joy Experiment (cross-art form collective) tour of locations across S.W. England
2003-2004 Private commission of life-size bronze figure + numerous other private commissions
1995-2001 Environmental art projects including Womad Festival, Las Palmas, Sicily, NZ and UK
1999-2002 Theatre commission animal/figurative costumes for Aardman, Bristol Old Vic
1996 International Sculpture Symposium, Granite, Wood and Bronze Workshop, Aberdeen
Work in private collections across Europe, USA, Canada, South America, Asia and Australia, and in the collection of the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins, France
