Priscila De Carvalho

Long Island City, NY

Residency: October-November 2010

About the Artist:

Priscila De Carvalho was born in Brazil in 1975, she studied at the City College of San Francisco, the UC Berkeley and at the Art Student League in New York. Ms. De Carvalho is a recipient of the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, Artist in the Market Place at Bronx Museum, Queens Council on The Arts Fund and Aljira Emerge 10 Fellowship. She has been an artist in residency at Jamaica Center for the Arts and Learning Residency Program and Sculpture Space Residency. Her work has been featured in individual and group exhibitions in the US and internationally, including a solo show at the Jersey City Museum, The Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, Pulse Art Fair in New York, Pinta Art fair in London, Deutsche Bank and various other galleries and museums. In 2011, she will participate in the AIM Program at the Bronx Museum Biennial and at the (S) Files, The Biennial of El Museo del Barrio, New York, NY. Her work has been reviewed by the The New York Times, Art Aldia International, Art Nexus and many others. Ms. Carvalho lives and works in Long Island City, New York.

Artist's Statement:

Technology and global communication has improved so that many countries and cultures seem more connected than ever. Yet divisions still exists, which are reinforced by strong borders, immigration policies, high walls, razor wire, and electric fences. These physical impediments are symbolic of a still-polarized world. My sculptural installation uses the symbolism of the wall to reflect my growing concern about such barriers. The main focus of the installation is a yellow path-like “fence” that divides the space and obstructs the passage of the viewers from one side of the space to the other. I painted the wall to continue the illusion of the fence/path and to create a dynamic architectural landscape enhanced by the color of the sky—a glimpse of paradise. As viewers navigate the fence/path, they pass evidence of abandonment and decay found on city streets. This refuse reflects my concern for the slum-dwellers of the world, and for the struggles that they face in trying to transcend their circumstances, to reach blue skies, clean air, and a world free of despair.