Izabela Carlucci: Subcultural Archetypes
Izabela Carlucci is a Lithuanian-Norwegian artist based in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated from the Vilnius Academy of Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in Stained Glass Design in 2016 and a Master of Arts in Site-Specific Art in 2022. Her artistic practice explores themes of transgression, iconoclasm, and violence, drawing connections between these concepts in both art and popular culture. She finds inspiration in literature on moral philosophy and nihilism, as well as in body horror and abject-themed films, alongside alternative music.
How did your creative journey begin?
My beginnings are not unique – I was just one of those kids who would draw all the time. For some reason many stop this activity as they grow older, some of us don't. I didn't pursue art education until I was in my late 20s though, so you might say I was a late bloomer when it comes to academics. After finishing high school I was actually working as a tattoo artist for a few years. Great time, until I hit the wall and panicked - I have extreme fear of stagnation, so if I notice myself getting too comfortable, unchallenged and not evolving, that's a road straight to creative depression. That's when I moved from Norway to Lithuania and did my Bachelors and Masters at Vilnius Academy of Arts.
Where do you find inspiration for your work?
I am all over the place, my interests fluctuate. I am an avid reader, music and movie lover so it's easy to use all those things as a source. If I have to pick some main themes that always come back around, it would be religious trauma, body, and violence. I was raised catholic and I was a very religious child – when I grew up I wanted to be a nun. It evolved into unhealthy obsession. I remember being six years old, and all I cared about besides reading and drawing was how to avoid going to hell. When I had to go to my first confession I wrote down all my sins on paper. I thought there is no way the priest is gonna believe I only have 7 sins, so I made up and added some more. It took me two decades to realise how not normal it is for a child to have so much guilt and fear, and it's something to grapple with to this day, and art is like purging. However, the love for catholic art has been and still is a huge influence. I can't stop drawing crucifixes. Later on I became interested in philosophy and stumbled upon concepts like body horror and Julia Kristevas abjection that resonated with me. I read a lot of material on nihilism, absurdism, existentialism. All these have negative connotations in most peoples minds, but to me realising my own insignificance was very freeing, and my belief system took a full 180 degrees. I must admit I can be cynical - in my world nothing happens for a reason, and not everyone gets what they deserve. So all that inevitably seeped into my art. It all sounds very ''doom and gloom'' but I'm not all that. I definitely have an ability to take things with a grain of salt or make fun of my own problems. And I swear my friends tell me I'm funny.
How has your work evolved over the last few years?
Studying changed a lot for me. Being exposed to so much art I wouldn't find on my own otherwise really opened my mind up. My taste has changed drastically, and my curiosity developed. I was made to think and justify my opinions. Simply stating ''I just don't like it '' wasn't an acceptable answer. When I was a teen I thought only old masters work was ''real art'', and I exclusively tried to draw realistically. Today I may enjoy looking at classical painting just as much as a minimalist abstraction, or appreciate a piece not for the aesthetics but for an idea. As to my own work, it is very inconsistent. Since as mentioned I can't just be stuck doing one thing, I work in many different styles, and switch up my medium of choice all the time. I can be drawing with sharpies for a few weeks, then I get the urge to paint ceramics or create stained glass pieces, because I crave the craft part of creating. Then I'll have a period of taking polaroids, just to jump to pastels or ink a month later. This past few months I have been trying encaustic painting which I enjoy a lot because I'm a sucker for texture. I am pretty sure this inconsistency is not doing me any favours because it makes it difficult to find an audience that will not abandon me the moment my work takes a turn to something else (this becomes very apparent through social media following). I don't think this way of working is something curators are looking for either.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you, and how has your art practice grown or changed?
I moved from Oslo to Brooklyn this January and I can't afford to rent a proper studio here in NYC, at least not yet, so I set up a small studio at home. I share the space with my musician husband so its really quite small and chaotic, but I managed to fit in a drawing table and a small kiln to fire my stained glass. For bigger paintings I use the rest of the apartment – I will melt my wax on the kitchen stove and make a huge mess of it. It's not ideal, especially with two cats lurking around, but I work on my art every day nonetheless, and hopefully I'll be able to eventually get a place that's more suitable. I think it's important to be transparent about this, because I feel like a lot of people have unrealistic expectations about the ''art life'', and if you're do not have a huge studio as well as constant shows lined up, that you are somehow a failure. Things take time, it is important to use what you got and not get discouraged. You are not less of an artist because you work from home, or because you have to work a second job to afford canvas and paint. If you have the compulsion to create and you're generating ideas daily that's what counts. I know what it means to be poor, and I don't ever want to be in that paralysing situation again, so I have my 9 to 5. Less time to paint, sure, but that's better than having all the time in the world and no money to buy art supplies. Romanticising the starving artist archetype is potentially dangerous.
Which experiences have impacted your work as an artist?
The are several things I could point out, but the most impactful is the work I've been doing as a forensic autopsy tech. While studying at the art academy I needed a job, and by coincidence I ended up working at a morgue, where I assisted forensic pathologists in performing autopsies. I ended up doing it for almost 3 years. In that relatively short time I've seen more tragedy than most people do in their entire lifetimes. I was witnessing the results of fatal accidents, murders, suicides and drug overdoses on a daily basis. Being surrounded by death in such literal sense makes you question everything. The worst cases for me were those of murdered women. It was always the same story – enraged husband or boyfriend taking a life in a classic ''If I can't have you no one will'' type situation. It really turned me into a raging feminist. I wrote my thesis on the aesthetics of violence (specifically against women) in art and popular culture, and my work took a more sinister turn. Some pieces I did not even dare sharing online, which makes me a coward, and I'm painfully aware of that. I'm not eloquent or articulate enough to defend my work to be honest. That expectation is the most annoying part of preparing for a show or applying for an exhibition – I really hate having to write pretentious artist statements. If I was good at speaking I would become a writer and wouldn't have this urge to express myself with visual language. Sometimes I need to take a healthy break from my own bitterness and create something without any deep meaning for the purpose of relaxation or meditation. I'll draw a portrait of a musician I like, or make stained glass flowers, even though anything decorative is of course a no-no in the academia. I'm not ashamed of that crafty part of me. I enjoy using my hands. I am hoping that in the age of AI generated art, human made objects will gain more status in the future.
How has social media impacted your work?
I don't feel like it has done much for me, but honestly it is my own fault because I don't put the work in. I only have 6000 followers on IG, and only about 15-20 percent of them see my posts. To succeed you need to play the game, so to speak – post consistently, make reels, or pay for your post to be seen. I am too lazy and can't be bothered, I'd rather spend time drawing some sketches instead of editing reels. I do appreciate the platform more so for my own use. I follow galleries and other artist and keep myself updated on what's going on in the art scene locally through that. I think social media for artists, especially the younger generations who can't remember the pre-internet days, it can be a slippery slope. It may bring you exposure and potential buyers, but there is a danger for your own integrity if you care too much. You might start choosing subjects to cater to your audience, overthinking what to post or not post, doubting yourself if your work doesn't generate ''enough'' likes and so on. I think it's worth asking yourself if this is the work you'd be doing if social media never existed. If Instagram disappeared tomorrow would you still be working as much and in the same way, knowing no one is there to see it?
Can you tell us more about the themes you explore in your work?
Besides what I already mentioned, I have to pledge my love for the subcultures. A lot of my stuff is directly influenced by goth and black metal music. Of course it's debatable if there are any real subcultures left today, as everything that starts as anti- fashion inevitably becomes a trend, but there is a lot to unwrap in that phenomenon and its history, which is a history of transgression. I have a soft spot for teenage intransigence and rebellion so some homage to that turns up in my work from time to time.
Website: https://www.izacarlucci.com/