Full Time demands our sustained attention. It is full, almost overwhelmingly so, of symbols, words, and scribbled forms. The more you look, the more you see, and the more you’re driven to decipher. Carnwath’s unique symbolism and iconography are derived from her lived experience: her experiences with family, being an artist, and societal pressures. Most of these symbols sit in contrast and chaos with one another, with the Guilt Free Zone metaphorically arching over them.

In this chaos, Carnwath plays with the believability of painting, using her practice as a form of questioning and processing. To the artist, paintings are living bodies, in their countless layers and elasticity of representation, defying rationalization while remaining familiar. Full Time helps us reflect on the nature of reality, illusion, and experience by incorporating them all into one.

—Irmak Ersoz ‘24