Carly Rose Bedford

Carly Rose Bedford makes new sculptures out of familiar objects and shapes, resulting in sculptures that may look like recognizable things, but might not be what we thought they were. This queer way of dealing with objects implies a way of departing from direct representation and determination based on a given appearance or physicality, and moving towards an openness to different ways of being – beyond labels, hierarchies, and gender roles. Bedford queers our ideas of what objects are or (can) do. Too often we consider nature as a terrifying presence that has to be tamed. As humans, we are dependent on it for our survival, still we try to overpower or reject it, razing it to the ground; even though comfortable and safe co-habituation is a possibility. The same applies to people; who seemingly have to be subjugated, whether these are people from a different place, culture, or whom have a ‘deviant’ way of living. The norm dominates. Bedford looks for ways to deviate from this norm and to stretch it, while at the same time proposing different kinds of norms that are equally – probably more – livable for – certainly – many people. These things are not mutually exclusive – as the basic principle of Abundance indicates: start from multiplicity, not scarcity.

text by Vincent van Velsen