Critical Distance

Carolina Cleere

About the Exhibition:

Carolina Cleere’s newest collection of photographic and text-based works are centered around the idea of critical distance, a term – used by social theorists – that describes the dynamics existing in social groups, particularly among strangers in public spaces when presenting criticism. It can be seen as a measurement of emotional remove when placing verbal judgment on objects and subjects. In the context of this exhibition, Cleere, commenting on art criticism, explores critical distance in both idea and application.

Cleere has amassed a wealth of experience quoting from life in her previous role as a photo journalist and on-set photographer, and more recently as a painter. Critical Distance embodies Cleere’s observations as an outsider making her way from commercial artist to contemporary artist exhibiting in galleries and juried fairs. Her works are intentionally cryptic and open-ended, relying on the viewer’s ability to develop narratives as a way of sharing personal experiences through a coded visual language. 

In this exhibition, Cleere builds from a foundation of photos shot at museums, galleries, and art fairs in Paris, Miami and elsewhere, then overlays bits of strangers’ conversations gathered while viewing a variety of artworks, even her own. Devices and clichés borrowed from art history and the art market are cleverly juxtaposed with humorous personal critique of these public exchanges, inverting the role of artist and critic. 

Exhibition Dates: November 2 – 30, 2019

Exhibition Opening & Reception: Saturday, November 2, 6-10pm

About the Artist:

Carolina Cleere is a Southern-born, internationally collected artist best known for her surrealist style paintings of children in lush environments, reflecting her experience growing up in Florida. She attended the University of Minnesota and the Minneapolis College of Art and Design and currently lives and works in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Cleere’s artistic practice includes creating large-scale mixed-media paintings using a unique four-medium process that she developed in the eighties. Cleere has exhibited her work nationally and internationally and is included in several permanent museum collections and in many private homes throughout North America and Europe. In addition to her painting practice, Cleere has a background in commercial and journalistic photography, working with celebrities and corporate clients as well as wire services and newspapers across the nation. Her photographs have been published in multiple international art magazines.