New Painting.

Hard Edge Painting (Jester), 2012

This piece took a while to finish. Started it in the summer of last year and was about to toss it in the trash. Had technical problems with the support which warped because of moister. It's the first time I've re-stretched a piece onto a new panel. Was worried that the paint would crack but it worked fine. Happy with the results. I used a brown color for the tag, hard to see in the images.

New Work On Paper

Study - Super Kool, 2012

Krink ink, latex paint on canvas pad.

Finally found a solution for working on quick studies for my paintings. Paper often tore from taping and the ink would seep through the layers of paint. This material is canvas pad, pre gessoed and the ink is Krink. Seems to work well, will make more.

BAU 85: "Go West" @ Beacon Artists Union

BAU 85: "Go West" @ Beacon Artists Union, Beacon New York

January 14 - February 5, 2010

These are installation views of my work in BAU 85: "Go West" exhibition at the Beacon Artists Union in Beacon, New York. The show includes work by Greg Slick and Eleanor White in the project space.

New Painting

Hard Edge Painting (Sin), 2012

Finished this work last night as well. It's for the same exhibition at BAU. The painting is 24" x 24". Thinking of doing a whole series of these in the coming weeks.

New Painting

Hard Edge Painting (Soul One), 2012

Finished this piece last night. Just in time since it slated for an exhibition opening in two days at the BAU (Beacon Artists Union) Gallery in Beacon, New York. The opening is Saturday from 6 - 9pm. The exhibition will be on view from January 14th - February 5th, 2012.

Thanks for the Memorex

Detail View

Hard Edge Painting (Phase Two), 2011

The ability to record and erase anticipated the possibilities of the endless mutable self, the protagonist of the post industrial age.

-Hua Hsu

Recently i re-read this article in an old issue of Artforum. I like this statement since it indirectly touches on some ideas that i think about in relation to some of my work, specifically the hard edge paintings. I think people often mis-interpret my paintings as being specifically about graffiti. The work incorporates it and pays homage to its history but in essence I'm using it as a starting point to explore larger cultural issues.

My use of graffiti is both a personal element of my own history as a graff writer and an essential part of the overall formal composition in the same way color or texture is used. It's similar to the way painters use the figure as a means to explore various issues related to painting. I use the language of graffiti and abstraction to explore cultural constructs. How history is seen through this spectrum, how it's understood and the social dynamic between high and low cultural forms of expression. I'm also interested in the similarities between the history of abstraction and its utopian ideals and that of urban culture.

Exhibition at Able Fine Arts

Kerosene Garden @ Able Fine Arts, Chelsea, New York

Here are images of my three record sculptures in the exhibition Kerosene Garden at Able Fine Arts. The opening was this past thursday. The exhibition will be on view through January 10, 2012.

Exhibition

Kerosene Garden

Curated by D.Dominick Lombardi @ Able Fine Arts

December 14 - January 10, 2011

Opening Reception:

Thursday, December 15th, from 6 - 8pm.

Click on link for further information:

http://www.ablefineartny.com/bbs/board.php?bo_table=g02_b01&wr_id=58

Press - Juxtapoz & Beautiful Decay

Attached are links to nice shout outs from Juxtapoz and Beautiful Decay online.

http://www.juxtapoz.com/Current/in-graffiti-abstract-buffing-by-karlos-carcamo

http://beautifuldecay.com/2011/10/28/karlos-carcamo/

New Painting

Hard Edge Painting (Phase Two), 2011

Here it is, the finished painting! I'm happy with how it turned out even though the colors are a bit harsh. I wanted to get away from the pastel spectrum of the last few paintings. In the end I ended up adding yellow to the top left corner and two layers of grey. Love the fact that you can see the tag through the black paint even with two coats.

The Studio - In Progress

Hard Edge Painting (Phase II) in progress.

Here is a shot of my new painting titled Hard Edge Painting (Phase II) that's in progress in the studio. It's been a struggle but I think that I'm almost done. Just need to add black on the upper right and maybe one other color. I decided to limit colors to two forms each in order to simplify the process. Some times things begin to get really complicated when layering multiple colors and you end up losing the painting. It's best to keep things simple.

New Painting @ Pulse Los Angeles

Hard Edge Painting (Riff 170), 2011

Latex and spray enamel on canvas over wood panel.

72" x 48"

Hot out of the studio. Currently on view at the Pulse Art Fair in Los Angeles (Sept 30 - Oct3rd), courtesy of Dean Project. Check it out if your in the neighborhood!

http://www.pulse-art.com/losangeles/

Wall Work

Motion in Two Parts (Red/Gold), 2011

Latex and pencil on wall with police batons.

48" x 96" x 3"

New wall piece incorporating a gold background. Click on image to enlarge.

Press: Art in America Online

Article on my work in Art in America Magazine on-line.

Link: http://www.artinamericamagazine.com/news-opinion/news/2011-04-21/karlos-carcamo-dean-gallery/

Voces: Conversations with Contemporary Artists

Beyond The Object

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

El Museo del Barrio
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: El Café

Admission: Free

Curator José Falconi discusses art-making as process with artist and critic Luis Camnitzer, and contemporary artists Karlos Cárcamo and Milagros de la Torre, whose work is included in Voces y Visiones: Signs, Systems & the City.

VOCES: Conversations with Contemporary Artists
Guest curators engage artists featured in El Museo's Permanent Collection in a conversation exploring contemporary art topics.

http://www.elmuseo.org/en/event/beyond-object

Till the Break of Dawn @ Dean Project

Detail View:

Here are some more images of my work at Dean Project. The pedestal piece is A Concrete Movement (Funky Drummer), the framed limousine tinted photo-collage is Untitled (Aura) and Hard Edge Painting (Pistol 1). All work is 2011.

Solo Exhibition: Till the Break of Dawn @ Dean Project

Installation Views: Till the Break of Dawn at Dean Project.

Here are some pics from my solo exhibition at Dean Project. The opening was pretty crowded. I felt bad that I could only talk to people for short periods before being pulled into another conversation. I'm taking a short break, just a couple of days, then back to the studio! I have some new hard edge paintings and limousine tinted collages I'd like to make. Also, finishing some new police baton pieces.

Solo Exhibition: Till the Break of Dawn @ Dean Project

Untitled (Fade to Black), 2011

The invite image above features a new knife piece Untitled "Fade to Black" that will be on exhibit in my first solo exhibition opening April 7th at Dean Project. The show will consist of 17 new works that include painting, sculpture, and mixed media collages. The opening reception is thursday, April 7th from 6-8pm. The show will be on view through May 14th.

Click on title for link to the gallery website.

Dallas Art Fair

Dallas Art Fair

April 8 - 10, 2011

If you're in Dallas for the Dallas Art Fair, keep an eye out for these pieces at Dean Projects Booth.

www.dallasartfair.com

In The Studio

The Studio.

Artwork packed and ready to be delivered! I enjoy all aspects of being an artists except having to spend a whole day packing up the work. Maybe someday someone else can do this for me but for now it's just me.

Study

Untitled (Grill), 2011

This is a study for a series of collages that juxtapose color squares with gold fronts (gold teeth). The colors refer to gang colors. The glass in the frame is tinted with limousine tint, similar to my tinted self portraits. In this case I cut out a rectangle on the tint to allow the collage to be visible. The pieces are 24" x 24" each. I'll be showing three of these types of collages in my upcoming exhibition at Dean Project.

New C-Print

Balancing Act (Newburgh), 2010

I've been wanting to shoot a photo related to the Balancing Act series in Newburgh for some time now. It turned out to be a little harder then I thought. If anyone's been to the scarier parts of Newburgh you'd understand. What I liked about this particular wall was the color and the crossed out gang graffiti. It was a nice contrast to the red dice that I had with me. There was a another wall that was interesting as well. It had a "RIP" piece on it, but it was too risky to photograph. There were too many guys hanging out near it giving me the stare down. Might have been a drug spot. As you can see from the type of graffiti on this wall, Newburgh has a major problem with gang violence. Glad it went well and that I wasn't mistaken for someone else.

New Wall Work

Motion in Two Parts (Blue/Grey) W2, 2010

I've decided to make the wall pieces slightly different by pairing them with additional colors. Eventually, I hope to come up with more complicated designs but for now I'm keeping them simple, just pairs. In the detail pic of this piece you can see the pencil line over the grey color. I like it because it shows the progression of the rotation and also acts as a marker that implies other associations such as targets, graphs, etc.

New Painting

Hard Edge Painting (Top Cat), 2010

These new paintings are so hard to photograph. The high gloss enamel paint is really reflective. I'll try to re-shoot them this week without the glare.

New Painting

Hard Edge Painting (Super Kool), 2010