Current
Caravan
Artist - Carl Yonder
Statement
Storytelling is the biggest behind my art but specifically creating art with the goal of inspiring the viewer to become a Storyteller. All of my work is built with narrative elements, some are more structured, and others are much looser in their approach but ultimately I want the viewer to be able to create their own story based on my work. As a private person I am naturally less inclined to speak to any specific meanings of my work, I never want to give specific meanings as I believe it will only work against any deeper meaning the viewer sees within the wok; ultimately I aim for the work to be expansive rather than finite in its "understanding".
Caravan
This current body of work, Caravan examines the paths taken as we all move forward through time, living in the present, remembering the past and thinking of the future.
Caravan is inspired heavily by my most recent move, such an upheaval served as a bit of a creative shock; comforts of the old studio are replaced with a new studio design and new methods when creating. Having to go through and touch everything during the moving process, I found myself reflecting upon memories of my childhood, through adulthood, and with my partner as we make our house a home we both look forward to what the future holds.
The figures and narratives in these works embody the ideas that we are all on a caravan of life, sometimes we are on the same path as those before us, other times we step onto a new path, but all the while moving forward towards the same destination.
Caravan
This current body of work, Caravan examines the paths taken as we all move forward through time, living in the present, remembering the past and thinking of the future.
Caravan is inspired heavily by my most recent move, such an upheaval served as a bit of a creative shock; comforts of the old studio are replaced with a new studio design and new methods when creating. Having to go through and touch everything during the moving process, I found myself reflecting upon memories of my childhood, through adulthood, and with my partner as we make our house a home we both look forward to what the future holds.
The figures and narratives in these works embody the ideas that we are all on a caravan of life, sometimes we are on the same path as those before us, other times we step onto a new path, but all the while moving forward towards the same destination.
Biography
Carl Yonder is a visionary surrealist who lives and works in Maryland. As a military brat, Yonder and his family traveled around the country and eventually the world. With all of the relocating, his parents and his artwork were the two biggest constants in his life. Over the years, his initial love of art developed into a passion, which he continues today. Inspired by Transcendental Meditation and lifelong traveling, Yonder’s work reflects his own journey through the subconscious serving as a conduit explorer discovering ancient cultures, rituals from prehistory and esoteric beliefs. Yonder’s interest in art started at a young age, with support and encouragement from his parents and his high school art teachers, he continued to develop as more of a self-taught artist, always exploring new ideas and building upon them.
This drive has led to Yonder’s successful career exhibiting work during the past few years, both in Maryland and beyond. He won the Curator’s Choice Award in December 2020 for his work at the Brooklyn, New York-based Greenpoint Gallery. He also had exhibitions with the I Like Your Work podcast, the Packard Group National Exhibition over the last several years, Virginia's Torpedo Factory Art Gallery, and recently at the Maritime Arts Museum in Solomons Maryland. In addition to several group exhibitions, Yonder had two solo exhibitions, one at the Best Medicine Rep Theater Company in 2018 and at the Greenpoint Gallery in Brooklyn in 2021. |