Evolution of the Bone People: Art Reception

Skeletons have captivated me for many years. Bones are at the heart of form, whether as the support for the flesh of living organisms or as the frames for the structures that we build. I am fascinated by the architecture beneath the surface and how that engineering shapes us and facilitates our movement. Over the years, I have collected many references of skeletons and have been rendering them in pen and ink on vellum. Recently, I started exploring ideas of playfully combining and juxtaposing bones of various origins to suggest a narrative or to invent new anatomies.
Abbyssinian Carto was born in Guyana, South America. He was interested in art from childhood and began his formal art training when he was 15 years old. In 1972 he came to the United States to study art and received a BFA in textile design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. He returned to Guyana in 1979, where he taught at the Burrows School of Art. He has lived in the United States since 1990 and currently resides and works in Brooklyn. His work has been exhibited in Guyana, Barbados, Trinidad, New York, and Washington DC.