Caroline Monnet

Arsenal Contemporary Art New York is delighted to present Worksite, a solo exhibition of Montreal-based artist Caroline Monnet. Curated by Greg Hill, the former Audain Senior Curator of Indigenous Art at the National Gallery of Canada, this exhibition marks a groundbreaking moment as it signifies Monnet's inaugural solo presentation in the United States.

Over the past decade, Caroline Monnet has cultivated a multifaceted and expansive artistic practice that combines contemporary art, cinema, architecture and furniture design. Rooted in her rich Anishinaabe and French heritage, Monnet envisions hybrid expressions and crafts that assert Indigenous viewpoints and methodologies, offering fresh perspectives and methodologies that breathe new life into our shared, collective heritage.

The selection of recent works featured in this exhibition, predominantly created within the last year, centers around Monnet's ongoing exploration of modern residential construction materials. Her early exposure to her parents' home renovation projects instilled in her a deep affinity for the transformative process—embracing the unfinished walls, fiberglass insulation, tar paper, and even the presence of spiders. This familiarity with and fondness for these materials catalyzed a profound deconstructive exploration of the realm of domestic construction.

In many ways, it seems that Monnet's art embodies an unconscious compulsion to build continuously, manifesting both as an aesthetic and a work ethic. Much like the diligent beaver, emblematic of ceaseless construction, she maintains a constant and unwavering commitment to her craft—a way of being that transcends mere productivity. For the beaver, this ceaseless toil is a matter of survival, as failure to continuously gnaw would result in incisors growing into an arc that could eventually pierce its throat.

At times, Monnet infuses her work with a critique of the construction industry and its detrimental environmental impact by leveraging the physical qualities of materials to imbue them with new meanings. An example of this can be seen in her utilization of gypsum board, a ubiquitous housing material that functions well in optimal conditions. However, if exposed to high humidity over long periods, it can be host to toxic mold. The artist uses this board as a substrate, creating her intricate symmetrical patterns by growing this noxious black mold in a highly controlled (and safely contained) manner. The resulting aesthetic juxtaposes the insidious nature of this substance, a harsh reality often found in the subpar housing of many Indigenous communities.

With these new works, Caroline Monnet breathes life into construction materials, creating artworks that have the ability to tell their own stories.