Sunday, November 2, 2014
GIBBIN HOUSE: Carola Perla's "Spelling Bee" Featured in the Zero...
GIBBIN HOUSE: Carola Perla's "Spelling Bee" Featured in the Zero...: It's been almost a year in the works, but the inaugural annual issue of ELSE Art Journal -“Trans-what?” and “Everything Else” is...
Carola Perla's "Spelling Bee" Featured in the Zero Edition of ELSE Art Journal
It's been almost a year in the works, but the inaugural annual issue of ELSE Art Journal -“Trans-what?” and “Everything Else” is finally here!
Moreover it features a 2-page spread on my 2012 "Spelling Bee" visual poem and cut paper installation, which itself is currently on view in the "Lit / Lite" Solo Exhibit at The Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles, Missouri, until November 7th, 2014.
Thank you so much to the staff for inclusion in this impressive annual academic art journal. I'm thrilled join this list of international artists and honored to have been deemed relevant and worthy by my peers.
About ELSE:
ƎLSE Journal International Art, Literature, Theory and Creative Media Journal
is a peer-reviewed annual journal that welcomes experimental and alternative forms of creative work.
is a peer-reviewed annual journal that welcomes experimental and alternative forms of creative work.
http://www.transart.org/else-art-journal/
About Transart Institute:
Transart Institute was founded in 2004 by two artists. The MFA in New Media program was accredited by the Austrian Ministry of Education and Culture through Donau University Krems, Krems, Austria in 2004 and the first summer residency was held in 2005 with an international body of 25 students and eight faculty. The current MFA Creative Practice program is accredited (accredited in BE) through the School of Art and Media at the University of Plymouth in the UK.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
'LIT/LITE: Visual Poetry Installations by Carola Perla' at the Foundry Art Centre# - A Look Back
My very first solo show 'LIT/LITE: Visual Poetry Installations' opened two Thursdays ago at the Foundry Art Centre in St. Charles (St. Louis, MO), and I am still finding it hard to believe...
I say this for two reasons: the first is that I feel like such a novice. I started with my paper cuts three years ago and it still startles me a bit to think of myself as an artist. The title 'artist' seems to imply such a lot of struggle and suffering, countered by that unmistakable streak of genius and determination. I instantly recall scenes from 'Of Human Bondage', because I had always imagined myself more like that novel's protagonist, a dilettante rather than the real thing, a lover of the bohemian life, a romantic, not meant for an actual hard life on the street in search of a dream, never really risking the gutter...I never imagined a road towards 'artist' a clean one...even as a writer, I battled demons, I lived a solitary life, at times I sacrificed...but this art, for which I am suddenly recognized and rewarded, this art had been a path of few stumbling blocks, of real joy, of (dare I admit) caprice...how have I found myself in this place, I wondered that evening in Saint Charles? Can I be deserving? What comes next?
Which I suppose is the question that brings me to my second reason: last year when I received my prize, it felt like such a beginning of something. A year later, it feels like a closing chapter...because the truth is that with all my work displayed, I must forge a new path...I have to figure out what I need to do to grow, what still needs saying, do I intend to sell these things one day? How much longer can I consider myself an artist without selling a piece? Is this a fork in the road? These are the questions I am not prepared to answer yet, and so the experience remains stubbornly in my mind an unsolidified one, a castle in the air, a whisper of memories...I am not ready to be nostalgic...
So instead I will focus on the journey of this past year, on the loneliness I felt last June, my uncertainty as I entered the Foundry, afraid of feeling inconsequential, of not being able to stand on my own...and knowing that all these months later, I could not feel more loved or consequential, at least to all who matter most to me...if I happen to elicit any such feeling from others through my work, then I can count myself truly blessed, and perhaps even an 'artist'
'LIT/LITE' runs now through November 7th...here is a bit of what you will see:
I say this for two reasons: the first is that I feel like such a novice. I started with my paper cuts three years ago and it still startles me a bit to think of myself as an artist. The title 'artist' seems to imply such a lot of struggle and suffering, countered by that unmistakable streak of genius and determination. I instantly recall scenes from 'Of Human Bondage', because I had always imagined myself more like that novel's protagonist, a dilettante rather than the real thing, a lover of the bohemian life, a romantic, not meant for an actual hard life on the street in search of a dream, never really risking the gutter...I never imagined a road towards 'artist' a clean one...even as a writer, I battled demons, I lived a solitary life, at times I sacrificed...but this art, for which I am suddenly recognized and rewarded, this art had been a path of few stumbling blocks, of real joy, of (dare I admit) caprice...how have I found myself in this place, I wondered that evening in Saint Charles? Can I be deserving? What comes next?
Which I suppose is the question that brings me to my second reason: last year when I received my prize, it felt like such a beginning of something. A year later, it feels like a closing chapter...because the truth is that with all my work displayed, I must forge a new path...I have to figure out what I need to do to grow, what still needs saying, do I intend to sell these things one day? How much longer can I consider myself an artist without selling a piece? Is this a fork in the road? These are the questions I am not prepared to answer yet, and so the experience remains stubbornly in my mind an unsolidified one, a castle in the air, a whisper of memories...I am not ready to be nostalgic...
So instead I will focus on the journey of this past year, on the loneliness I felt last June, my uncertainty as I entered the Foundry, afraid of feeling inconsequential, of not being able to stand on my own...and knowing that all these months later, I could not feel more loved or consequential, at least to all who matter most to me...if I happen to elicit any such feeling from others through my work, then I can count myself truly blessed, and perhaps even an 'artist'
'LIT/LITE' runs now through November 7th...here is a bit of what you will see:
Monday, September 22, 2014
"LIT / LITE: Visual Poetry Installations by Carola Perla" Solo Show Launches at the Foundry Art Centre September 25, 2014!
ITS TIME FOR MY FIRST SOLO SHOW!!!
I will save my full comments about this experience for after the opening, I'm too nervous to go into it now...what I will say is that this show punctuates my life in more significant ways than I could have foreseen last year when I unexpectedly won the Best in Show at the Foundry Art Centre's "Paper Cuts" exhibit. Life is a never-ending stream of surprises, lessons, and miracles, and if I ever stop believing that, then all I have to do is look back on this moment...I am so proud, grateful, and full of emotion, having sent off three year's worth of work - my entire collection - to this show, not sure if I sent enough light bulbs, wrote the correct measurements, made good enough work, and yet knowing that it doesn't matter, because this is all part of the journey...I will keep you posted on the results...in the meantime, here is the flyer for the show:
Friday, April 11, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Carola Perla Part of "Diverse Dimensional Approaches" Paper and Sculpture Exhibit at Impact Artists' Gallery
"Diverse Dimensional Approaches"
Paper and Sculpture Exhibit at Impact Artists' Gallery
Buffalo, New York
March 5 - April 25, 2014
So excited to be part of this new exhibit!
Sculpture : In its complexity, sculpture is both noun and verb, both the means and the end to production.
Noun : The art of making two- or three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, esp. by carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster.
Verb : Make or represent (a form) by carving, casting, or other shaping techniques.
Noun : The art of making two- or three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, esp. by carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster.
Verb : Make or represent (a form) by carving, casting, or other shaping techniques.
Paper art can be traced back to Japan, where it originated over a thousand years ago.
From complex paper cutting to book carving, this is an ever expanding area of design that is hardly talked about.
From complex paper cutting to book carving, this is an ever expanding area of design that is hardly talked about.
Selection in this exhibit coincides with being awarded a Showcase Winner in ART SLANT's 1st Showcase in 20014 Competition!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Moon Shine Art Spot: Review: Gibbin House
Moon Shine Art Spot: Review: Gibbin House: Gibbin House by Carola Perla My rating: 4 of 5 stars Gibbin House by Carola Perla is one if my favorite ...
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
CTC Virtual Book Tour of Gibbin House: Thanks to All for the Great Reception!
A great measure of thanks all the participants in the CTC Virtual Book for "Gibbin House", their wonderful reviews and generosity in hosting my author guest posts:
Traveling with T - review and guest post
Review:
"...Gibbin House is so interesting, so heartfelt, so much so that I’m struggling with words...A book that will hang around in your thoughts after closing the book or clicking off the Kindle!..."
Guest Post:
"Literary Influences: How Margaret Ball Changed My Life"
"I LOVE this guest post. Seriously it’s made of fantastic and dipped in awesome." - Traveling With T
What is That Book About - guest post
"On Malot, the Birth of Anka, and Paper Houses"
Life of a Female Bibliophile - review
"Perla is a great writer. She creates this world with a cast of characters that have varying personalities, and puts hard work into detailing the people and scenery. It makes the reader feel that the are living in Gibbin House as well. The settings were so realistic and I liked that Perla uses this poetic literary language that you usually only find in the traditional classics."
Library Educated - review
"...It seems like those books are kind of rare!"
Hobby Lady - excerpt
A Book Geek - excerpt
Not Drinking Coffee - excerpt
Moreover, an enormous thanks Ashley at Closed The Cover for her expertise and professionalism in organizing and conducting this virtual tour - she's the best!
More than 1,000 entries in the Giveaway!
Congratulations to Lori R. who is the Grand Prize winner of the CTC Virtual Book Tour Giveaway, and to Dee and Rhonda for winning signed copies of Gibbin House! Thanks to everyone for entering:))
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
4 Star review of Gibbin House by Life of a Female Bibliophile!
February 9: Sunday's stop on the CTC Virtual Book Tour was off to a great start with this wonderfully written 4-Star review from Life of a Female Bibliophile...
I really enjoyed reading “Gibbin House”. It was nice change of material from the typical books I read and it had an intriguing storyline. The novel, is an historical fiction story and takes events from the past and meshes with a interesting plot. It took me a while to understand some of the historical contexts I was reading about since I wasn’t very knowledgeable about the country and the time period. Doing a little side research cleared up my confusion immediately and I was able to understand and follow the plot. Perla is a great writer. ..READ MORE
Thanks again to Life of a Female Bibiophile for taking the time out to read Gibbin House and offer your great insights!
A Book Geek: Gibbin House Blog Tour - Excerpt Post and Giveaway...
A Book Geek: Gibbin House Blog Tour - Excerpt Post and Giveaway...: Gibbin House by Carola Perla Source: Author via Closed the Cover for an honest review Format: eBook and Paperback Publication Date: ...
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Library Educated: Book Review: "Gibbin House" by Carola Perla and Gi...
Library Educated: Book Review: "Gibbin House" by Carola Perla and Gi...: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ------------------------------ Gibbin House is kind of like a house for ...
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
GIBBIN HOUSE: Gibbin House - CTC Virtual Book Tour - February 8 ...
GIBBIN HOUSE: Gibbin House - CTC Virtual Book Tour - February 8 ...: Just recently I ran a Google search for "Gibbin House" and stumbled upon the most remarkable thing - the last line of m...
Gibbin House - CTC Virtual Book Tour - February 8 -15, 2014
That said, I happily and most enthusiastically announce the upcoming Virtual Tour of "Gibbin House", conducted by Closed The Cover, February 8 -15, 2014. Below is the schedule, which includes an assortment of book reviews, excerpts, Q & A, guest posts, and fantastic giveaway! Stay tuned!
Tour Schedule
February 8, 2014
Closed the Cover - Kick-Off Post and Giveaway
Library Educated - Book Review
February 9, 2014
Life of a Female Bibliophile - Book Review
February 10, 2014
Hobby Lady - Book Excerpt
February 11, 2014
All R Media - Book Review
February 12, 2014
A Book Geek - Book Excerpt
February 13, 2014
Not Drinking Coffee - Book Excerpt
February 14, 2014
Book Hostage - Author Q&A
February 15, 2014
Traveling with T - Book Review and Guest Post
Closed the Cover - Kick-Off Post and Giveaway
Library Educated - Book Review
February 9, 2014
Life of a Female Bibliophile - Book Review
February 10, 2014
Hobby Lady - Book Excerpt
February 11, 2014
All R Media - Book Review
February 12, 2014
A Book Geek - Book Excerpt
February 13, 2014
Not Drinking Coffee - Book Excerpt
February 14, 2014
Book Hostage - Author Q&A
February 15, 2014
Traveling with T - Book Review and Guest Post
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Peripheral ARTeries Art Review - Article and Interview, Dec 2013 issue - Carola Perla
This past December Peripheral ARTeries Art Review featured an 8-page spread on my art work, along with one of the most thorough interviews I've done in a long time. It was such a wonderful opportunity to share my experiences, inspiration, and thoughts on the direction of contemporary art.
Check it out!
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Creative Quarterly Journal Annouces CQ34 Winners
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
"Mariposa" (Butterfly) - My latest KONZEPTION Installation for the novel "Humboldt's Riches" - PART 1
As of October 12th, I am officially underway in my KONZEPTION cross-pollinating literature and art project. "Se Vende" led into the theme. "Prologue" served as the page of inception. Now "Mariposa" begins to introduce some of the main themes in the novel, which I can't wait to start wrestling with over the next few months. I will talk more about naturalism and Alexander von Humboldt, the Prussian explorer who inspired the title of my new book, in the next post. For now I will leave you with this description and images from the new art installation.
The subject is Amazonian butterflies: mariposas. The installation depicts them as biological nomenclature hovering amidst a lattice-like net and sculptural 'foliage', to which cling crystalline vellum butterflies, transparent yet veined with white ink and pencil. In "Humboldt's Riches", the main characters are a family of young biologists who have journeyed into Peru's Apurimac region to run an uncle's hacienda hotel, with the idea of continuing their study of butterflies there. Once arrived, they endure the hardships of living in this remote wilderness and start to see hints of the impending dangers that will catapult them into the novel's adventure, Yet all the while they cannot resist delving into the forest for their quarry, the variety of vibrant papilios, some rare and uncatalogued, as large as their spread hands.
Note: my parents were equally obsessed with capturing and cataloguing butterflies and moths (and a fair share of insects) while we lived in the rainforest. I grew up with these frames, which traveled with us from Peru to Germany to the United States, even when other important objects (all my baby toys spring to mind) were left behind. As a young girl in Munich, my parents even raised a specific species of domestic butterfly, just to see it hatch in the thousands in our small studio apartment...but more on that in my 'Germany' book)
The installation, as seen presently, offers a depiction of this butterfly theme. Only when the novel is read months down the line, will the installation offer a different perspective on the subject, begging the question of who is being chased, who exactly is trapped in that lattice-like net among the sculptural green???
The subject is Amazonian butterflies: mariposas. The installation depicts them as biological nomenclature hovering amidst a lattice-like net and sculptural 'foliage', to which cling crystalline vellum butterflies, transparent yet veined with white ink and pencil. In "Humboldt's Riches", the main characters are a family of young biologists who have journeyed into Peru's Apurimac region to run an uncle's hacienda hotel, with the idea of continuing their study of butterflies there. Once arrived, they endure the hardships of living in this remote wilderness and start to see hints of the impending dangers that will catapult them into the novel's adventure, Yet all the while they cannot resist delving into the forest for their quarry, the variety of vibrant papilios, some rare and uncatalogued, as large as their spread hands.
Note: my parents were equally obsessed with capturing and cataloguing butterflies and moths (and a fair share of insects) while we lived in the rainforest. I grew up with these frames, which traveled with us from Peru to Germany to the United States, even when other important objects (all my baby toys spring to mind) were left behind. As a young girl in Munich, my parents even raised a specific species of domestic butterfly, just to see it hatch in the thousands in our small studio apartment...but more on that in my 'Germany' book)
The installation, as seen presently, offers a depiction of this butterfly theme. Only when the novel is read months down the line, will the installation offer a different perspective on the subject, begging the question of who is being chased, who exactly is trapped in that lattice-like net among the sculptural green???
Carola Perla Chosen to Contribute to InterArtive Magazine's Art & Mobility Issue
As those of you who have read Gibbin House or seen my art installations can attest, immigration, travel, assimilation, and the effects of language on identity lie at the core of much of what I do.
So naturally, when I saw this call for prosecti from InterARTive for its special October "Art & Mobility" issue a couple months ago, I really wanted to be a part of it. I did so for several reasons, not least of them being that the theme of mobility plays such a central role in my writing and paper art, and that this would also be the first legitimately academic medium in which to share my work. I applied and was over the moon to find the brief email notice in my inbox a few weeks ago, announcing that I would be among the amazing roster of international artists featured.
InterARTive describes the idea behind this issue in the following words "to reflect on the multiple aspects of cultural and artistic mobility and to open the way towards a transdisciplinary field of study that increasingly claims its place in the analysis and research of the social and cultural dynamics of the contemporary world."
In simpler terms, the world is changing. For centuries we have defined our art and aesthetics by our cultural values and social constructs. But in the 21st century, in this global and 'mobile' society, we no longer have distinct aesthetic or cultural boundaries. Obviously this is not a new idea. But while most people will focus on the benefits of the multi-cultural melting pot results we see in our modern experience, there is another side, a tale of displacement, transience, homelessness, resettlement and asylum. Art has explored such issues in recent years as mass-manufacturing, globalization, etc...so it must now tackle the most immediate topic of immigration, transculturation, and the recalibration of self in a transnational world, as it concerns our emotional, political, and ideological existence.
I consider myself an emblem of this experience, a child of many cultures, a citizen of many countries, with each foot in a different place, never quite sure of where I belong, because my skin, my language, or my social behavior will forever tag me with the label of 'other', no matter where I am. More than any single factor in my life, this state of not belonging coupled with my appreciation of every culture that lives in me, will forever color everything I create.
Thus, inclusion in this issue is a great show of acceptance of my work, as it pertains to the topic and to the conceptual art community at large. It means my message, however transmitted via the whimsical flurry of white paper and light, is being heard, is valid.
To read more on my "Lichtsprache" (illuminated language), follow the link:
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Four Points Contemporary: Latest Exhibition Selection
This past August, I had the honor of being selected to the Four Points Contemporary's 1st Annual All Media International Juried exhibition. The online exhibition, which seeks to discover promising talent from among emerging international artists, runs now through September 30th, 2013. Visit the link to see the complete exhibit: Four Points Contemporary Current Exhibitions .
The honor tops off an amazing summer of 'Little Victories', from Bronze in the Art Ascent Magazine "Emergence' Competition to 'Best in Show' at the Foundry Art Centre's 'Papercuts' exhibit, as well as selection in the Vargas Gallery's '2013 South Florida Group' Show and the American Art Jury's 'Gallery of Invited Artists' Salon, as well as a feature article in South Florida's Sun Post. On the literature front, 'Gibbin House' has also had its little moment in the sun, with reviews, interviews and author spotlights, and giveaways.
In all, it's only been six months since I began an active push towards making my art more public, and the response goes to show what can come from some concentrated efforts. As I begin 'Humboldt's' Riches' and the 'KONZEPTION' series, I foresee this forward trajectory slowing, being that writing and making art will once again consume my free time. Let's see what the next six months bring...
The honor tops off an amazing summer of 'Little Victories', from Bronze in the Art Ascent Magazine "Emergence' Competition to 'Best in Show' at the Foundry Art Centre's 'Papercuts' exhibit, as well as selection in the Vargas Gallery's '2013 South Florida Group' Show and the American Art Jury's 'Gallery of Invited Artists' Salon, as well as a feature article in South Florida's Sun Post. On the literature front, 'Gibbin House' has also had its little moment in the sun, with reviews, interviews and author spotlights, and giveaways.
In all, it's only been six months since I began an active push towards making my art more public, and the response goes to show what can come from some concentrated efforts. As I begin 'Humboldt's' Riches' and the 'KONZEPTION' series, I foresee this forward trajectory slowing, being that writing and making art will once again consume my free time. Let's see what the next six months bring...
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Carola Perla Author Interview @ MoonShine Art Spot
This month I had the pleasure to speak with MoonShine Art Spot in a special author interview, released in conjunction with the Summer Giveaway Hop 2013. I had the chance to address my inspiration for "Gibbin House" and other personal experiences that made it into the book. Here is an excerpt from the interview. To read in its entirety, follow the link:
In your debut novel “Gibbin
House”, the protagonist is a young Romanian woman who is forced to leave her
home after the Second World War and start a new life in London. Is this story of exile based on anything
that happened to you?
To some extent, yes, although I was much younger than Anka when I
left Communist-era Romania in 1979. Five
years earlier, my father had traveled from his native Peru to Timisoara, to
study biology at the Polytechnic University.
He hadn’t been there long when he went to a party and met a leggy blonde
with John Lennon glasses. He barely
spoke a word of Romanian, but he was beautiful and brilliant in after-shave and
bell bottom jeans. It was a typical
hippie love story, but for the fact that the Ceausescu regime forbade
relationships with foreigners... to continue...
Did you have your mother in
mind when you wrote about Anka’s journey to London?
Naturally. Here is this
young woman – my mother - with an old suitcase and a baby in her arms, without
a penny to her name, having never eaten spaghetti or watched a scary movie, in
clothes she’s sewn herself, getting on a plane, and seeing her own mother, as
far as she knows, for the last time in her life...to continue...
Do you see migration as a
central theme to “Gibbin House”?
Certainly
one of them. I’m interested in how
people find a ‘home’, what that means.
It would have been a very important consideration after the war, with so
many homes destroyed, families separated, political boundaries redrawn,
deportations forced on various ethnic groups.
How do people recapture ‘home’ after all that?...to continue...
Did any other personal
experiences find their way into the book?
Like
most authors, I write what I know, mostly in terms of relationships between
people. Anka’s feelings in a new country are very familiar to me; her inability
to speak mirrors my many months spent in silence every time I moved to a
country where I did not know the language.
Her close connection with her mother is also something where I could
inject elements of myself. And of
course there’s the romantic plotline...to continue...
To read the interview in its entirely, go to www.MoonShineArtSpot.blogspot.com
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