9 Questions with Caterina Carraro

Coming from user experience design, Caterina has extensively studied human perception and sensory interaction  (particularly the visual and cerebral variety).

As she is fascinated by the study of perception and stimulus processing in immersive human-interface experiences, she decided to ask questions about the future of co-existence on our planet.  She began to investigate the human-non-human matter, the mutation of the atmosphere and the world around us, for which we are responsible. 

Currently describing herself as an emerging artist, she began experimenting with acrylic, textured and oil painting, site-specific installations and sculpture in late 2020, after devoting years to representation through digital mediums.  She transformed her flat into an atelier, putting her days at the complete service of artistic production.

carrarocaterina.myportfolio.com | @caterinacarraro_artistdesigner

ARTIST STATEMENT

“I am a unicellular organism, my matter is organic and mineral,
also present in the space I inhabit.
The atmosphere is in me, horizons pass between my membranes,
immersion keeps me alive.
I am a laboratory of life, an autopoietic system.
I am a mother because I am not individualistic,
but not according to the gender code.
I live in symbiosis with my foetuses.”

The artist aims to inspire our species to feel curiosity, attraction and visual pleasure when observing these creatures that are different from the current human catalog.
They differ from animal features and are much closer to the particle genus. These beings are evolved single-celled organisms, whose matter is organic and mineral. They consist of the very same compost, of which the space they inhabit is made. The atmosphere is in them, and horizons pass between their membranes: it is immersion that keeps them alive. Their name is Guman.

They are a laboratory of life, an autopoietic system that makes them mothers even though they are not individualists, even though they do not belong to any gender code. Guman work existence within existence, the earth within the earth. By opening the doors of welcome, they are rich in indeterminate genders, insignificant alterities placed to take care of the exceptional human.
Their vision generates a mental compost for awareness in the connections between multispecies. They are beings without Ego, cells of Gaia and with Gaia. Guman are Humans vaccine. They vaccinate against the extinction mechanism based on reproduction through self-image. Through this, they become capable of self-fertilization and live in symbiosis with their fetuses. They propose a system of independent ritual creation.

INTERVIEW

You come from UX design. When and how did you start getting involved with visual arts?

Since I was a teenager, I have always dedicated part of my free time to creating illustrations with different mediums and subjects. For me, doing illustrations have always been an act of personal entertainment with a therapeutic value. Then with the studies of product design and UX, I was able to integrate illustrations into digital experiences and brands, giving them a commercial value. Finally, in November 2020, about one year ago, I decided to dedicate myself to art, defining a concept and experimenting with new mediums such as painting and sculpture.

What for you is the most enjoyable part of creating art?

I have a lot of fun in the brainstorming phase, before the work's execution. In this phase, I don't worry about the final result and the attention to detail. I sketch shapes on paper and write with arrows and icons their analysis in terms of message, materials, and emotions that I want to give to the user of the work. This design phase ties me very much to the methodology of product design.

How much of your experience as a UX designer can be found in your artworks? 

Definitely the approach to the creation process, the methodology that starts from the research, proceeds with a low-fidelity prototype of the work made on paper and the attention to visual stimuli that I put into it. When designing a virtual experience, it is essential to know how the user will cognitively assimilate the colors and elements, to facilitate the experience and not overload. Well, maybe for professional deformation, I continue to have an eye for this aspect.

Where do you find inspiration for your work and what is your creative process like? 

I interpret concepts from modern feminism by Donna Haraway or Richard Dawkins, so my conceptual inspiration comes from texts like "Chthulucene, Staying with the Trouble" and "The Selfish Gene." I am also very visually inspired by nature, plants, and humans-non-humans. My creative process is based on design processes, but passing through introspection to give a dreamlike touch to my works.

What do you hope that the public takes away from your work? 

I would like my work to become a pretext for discussing today's issues, such as the Anthropocene and the non-inclusion of minorities. Therefore, I propose these pearly icons that can induce curiosity, attraction, and visual pleasure in the viewer. My spheres, the Guman, show themselves as different from the current human catalog, and, precisely for this reason, they attempt to break down the gender divisions of contemporary society, proclaiming biodiversity, fluidity, and acceptance of diversity. An attempt to break down the Anthropocene and binary concepts such as "man-woman" "natural-unnatural".

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future in terms of new projects? 

I'm working on a site-specific installation for Biennale Milano in Italy. And I plan to proceed with new sculptures in Berlin, where I currently live.

Do you find that the shift to digital exhibitions and art fairs has helped you promote your work? 

Yes, I think it's always a good strategy to exhibit your work digitally or not. I definitely don't agree that emerging artists should pay to exhibit their work, I hope this mentality changes in the art market.

Do you have any upcoming shows or collaborations you are looking forward to? 

Yes, you can see Guman Sculpture III at "La Biennale Milano", an international art meeting from October 21st to 25th.

Finally, share something you would like the world to know about you? 

I hope that my work can help raise awareness about discrimination, biodiversity, the planet, and queer ecology. I am open to collaborations and representations.