Five ceramic totems from the installation Anh Yeu Em, representing one point of an 8-Point Star. In total 40 totems were produced for this installation. The individual totems consist of four ceramic objects and a packet of dried blood and soil with the words, “EASY TO FORGIVE,” written on the packets. This sentiment activates the totems, making them living objects. The 8-point star is a representation of a complete life. The individual totems represent singular lives known and unknown by the artist. As a kind of material poem, the activated totems communicate on a spiritual level a space for grief and reconciliation.
[artist statement courtesy of the artist and Erin Cluley Gallery]
Carter currently lives in Mexico City and Dallas and received his BFA from Stanford University and an MFA from Southern Methodist University. His work is included in the collections of Nasher Sculpture Center and Dallas Museum of Art, among others.