A discussion of curatorial space becomes that of mundane obligations becomes that of experiments on how children react to fences. Our boundaries, real and implied, dictate our abilities. Amidst first conversations with Carol Scavotto at Clio Fair in March, these boundaries dissolve in her work.

“Windy Day,” 2014, handmade Mulberry rag paper, ink, specialty papers
“Windy Day,” 2014, handmade Mulberry rag paper, ink, specialty papers, photo courtesy Scavotto’s website
Among the pieces she exhibited for Clio were decorative, playful collages of faceless woman, identifiable by the flick of their wrist or the crookedness of an ankle. There’s an emphasis on feet, probably the most individualized aspect of these women, telling of Scavotto’s own endeavors as a dancer.

Having studied as a conceptual sculptor at UMass Amherst, Scavotto builds onto the 2D to imbue her figures with their own ornamentation, escaping from the picture plane. Up close, flatness disappears in place of fabric, hand stitching, and an overlapping of designs. Overtime these elements create a distinct person, unknown to Scavotto yet existing as culminations of human emotion.

First time Fridger, Scavotto, has been working within the arts for some time, first in the applied arts before transitioning to outputting more personal works. A major shift in style from jewelry design and interior decoration, seemingly came as a byproduct to her diagnosis with a chronic illness in 2009. Unable to work for about a year, Scavotto documented these experiences though a series of ink drawings, Trip to the Doctor, a personal diary of her fears, setbacks, and recovery.

Although a grueling period, Scavotto was enabled to push her own abilities, engaging in works related to human experience. These continued into an interest in allowing people to create themselves in her work to address the many facades we adorn in place of ourselves yet “how consistent the core of a being remains.”

Thus Scavotto will be exhibiting her paper clay masks at Fridge. All imagined people, they formed during the process of creation. 21 of these masks have been used in her past performance work, Body Body, an impromptu reading of the body’s adorned expressions in everyday situations. An extreme of reality, our own ritual of identity is held within these chalk white masks.

Until Fridge, Scavotto is reaching out to women for her next project, currently deemed Am I Pretty Yet?. Focusing on the different approaches to body image, Scavotto is requesting documentation of practices women engage in to feel “pretty”. So far Scavotto has had women who believe they can’t participate because they like their bodies, when in theory the project is inclusive to these perceptions. Many women are influenced to believe if I am not bashing my own body it is not worth talking about at the risk of being seen as arrogant but Scavotto wants to receive as many self-perceptions as she can until the current deadline of May 1st, both positive, negative and in-between. If you would like to submit you are encouraged to send anonymous letters to PO BOX 588, Tiverton, RI 02878.

Scavotto also just finished up The Letter Project, a public grieving for her mother and father in which she read the letters of their courtship in her mother’s wedding gown. Just posted today, is the video of the process. Over an hour’s worth of reading Scavotto often addresses the audience breaking her bounds as an artist to further connect.