About

BIOGRAPHY

Carla Adams is a contemporary artist living and working in Perth. She graduated with first-class honours from Curtin University in 2014. Her work incorporates sculpture, textiles, painting, drawing, and book-making.

Adams’ work has been exhibited at the Art Gallery of WA, Bus Projects (Melbourne), ARTBAR at The Museum of Contemporary Art (Sydney), Verge Gallery (Sydney) and Blindside (Melbourne). Adams’ work was selected for the 2023 Ramsay Art Prize at the Art Gallery of SA. 

She is also an educator, working as a sessional academic at Curtin University and delivering creative workshops across Australia. 

She is currently represented by Aster + Asha Gallery.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Central to my artistic practice is a deep-rooted desire to embody the intangible, to give form and substance to the unknowable. Often it is a feeling, a memory of a person, or a fleeting encounter. 

These attempts to derive meaning from the immaterial are often fraught with futility and absurdity and it’s this, coupled with a playful exploration of materiality that creates levity and a sense of humour in my work.

As someone with Romani/Traveller heritage, I have developed a deep appreciation for the value of objects and the stories they hold. My culture places great importance on material possessions, recognizing that they can hold immense personal, spiritual, and cultural significance.

My work draws upon the complex interplay between material worth, cultural understanding, and individual perceptions of value by celebrating the aesthetic worth found in both precious and non-precious elements. My process often involves repurposing found objects and the unexpected juxtaposition of high-value objects and craft materials, which are drawn from my large studio collection.