Mary Ellen Carroll

Museum Exhibition Catalogues, Monographs, Artist's Projects, Curatorial Writings and Essays

“…It takes a long time, years, to figure out for oneself what actually unites the work and what you’re doing. On some level, the point of knowing is that you can know when it’s time to change it.
I think that initially you begin your practice as an artist somewhat intuitively. Then, when you produce more work and are faced with the question, What will I do next?--when you take up the self-conscious act of repetition or reinforcement--that’s where cognition comes in. At least with my own practice that’s how it was. And so, early on in my career, as a result of this self-interrogation, I decided to not develop a signature style.
I do have a couple of tenets, however. I approach each idea for an artwork by asking, What is the problem I am trying to solve here? I owe that to having a math and science background. Beyond that, my primary concern is to investigate what a work of art is, and I mean that with reference to Heidegger and his ideas of thingness and being.”
Mary Ellen Carroll, quoted, in conversation with Hamza Walker

MONOGRAPHS & CATALOGS