Carl Hazlewood b . British Guiana 1950 ; works in New York , USA
Demerara Song , 2017 Acrylic , pastel , pushpins , map pins , gold cord , nylon cord , vinyl tile , vinyl tape , conté crayon , glitter , charcoal , grommets , polyester ( from recycled plastic bottles ), fabric Courtesy of the artist
Carl Hazlewood created Demerara Song exclusively for Liminal Space , constructing the “ wall work ” on site as he contemplated the unique dynamics and characteristics of the space . As a Guyanese-American , his practice , he says , “ Originates from the total sum of my experiences here , there , and elsewhere . Thus , my work can be Guyanese , American , and much more . . . all at the same time .”
In response to the act of migration as a liminal space , Hazlewood grapples with the “ unsayable ,” drawing from the poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke that “ Most experiences are unsayable , they happen in a space that no word has ever entered .” Armed with a range of materials both pedestrian and exquisite , the artist elevates objects that are often invisible or trivialized : pushpin , tape , a piece of string to construct Demerara Song . In this “ wall painting ,” informed by the scale and curve of the wall , Hazlewood folds , drapes , pins , pleats , cuts , and layers the materials as he plays with negative and positive space . While the work relies on set of formal and minimalism techniques , Demerara Song is a conversation on temporality , “ an attempt to rescue something out of nothing , pinning down a moment ,” states Hazlewood . The viewer will never see the work in this iteration again as the artist will dismantle its parts when the exhibition concludes .