Caroline Heffron
Caroline Otis Heffron lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. She has pursued painting and ceramics since graduating with her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. Heffron received her BA from St. Lawrence University and studied Art History in Florence with Syracuse University.
Recent exhibitions include group shows Phantom Body at Gloria’s Project Space in New York and Plexiglass Proscenium online exhibition with Paradice Palase. Highlights of her curatorial work include Objects of Desiring at SPRING/BREAK and Pearls of Wisdom at Studioninedee, NYC. Other exhibitions include Kent State University, Long Island University, La Mama La Galleria, and Gowanus Open Studios with a recommendation from Hyperallergic. She is the founder of @artistsconnectedprojects, which brings artists together through inspiration and connected art themes.
Artist Statement
My paintings are inspired by comparing images of women from art history and my street photography with cultural symbols. I begin a transhistorical conversation by combining and layering figures in a magical vignette with themes found in decorative arts and architecture that highlight the imagination. These archetypal personas represent women like me: wanderers, collectors, and creators who reflect my dualistic experiences of belonging yet feeling isolated, being vulnerable yet needing to be strong, and remembering to be present but longing for the future.
The remixing of animate and inanimate images reclaims and retells ancient myths, women in public places, and women as consumers of culture. The compositions challenge conventional use of spatial depth and include uncanny, saturated colors. These formal exaggerations highlight the invented worlds of time travel and give agency to these new muses as they ponder their memories, anxiety, and desires. My paintings evolve into a theatrical tableau formed into a manageable scale and focused moments for consideration as these figures walk along beside me in connected choreography.
Instagram: @carolineheffronart
