April 5 – 26, 2023
Robert Carter
Notes on Dad, 2020
HD video and sound, single screen, 16:9, 8:03 min
Curated by Paola Paleari
Shot on iPhone, Notes on Dad depicts the artist with his sister cleaning their father’s apartment together. A soundtrack with the artist’s voice gives insight into his experiences of growing up with an alcoholic father.
While rooted in a deeply personal story, the video opens up a larger conversation about how we care for ageing parents in an ever-more individualised society. Why is elder caregiving still primarily a women’s responsibility? What are the psychological implications of looking after a person that has been a source of shame and frustration during the delicate years of emotional development?
Traditional household structures have radically changed over the past few decades and adult children experience feelings of ambivalence; regretting the loss of their independence in the role of caregiver whilst fearing their parents lack sufficient emotional support. As the population ages in most Western countries, many questions on how to face the most formidable demographic challenge of the near future remain unanswered.
Writer and Editor: Robert Carter
Cast: Robert Carter, Holly Carter
Robert Carter is an artist and writer from Manchester living in Oslo. He graduated from the Bergen Art Academy with an MFA in 2020. His practice incorporates video, print making, photography and spoken word to elaborate on themes of labour; both emotional, artistic and in relation to social class. Recent solo exhibitions include Baked Painting (home alonE, France) Clermont Pigeon Union (USF Visningsrømmet, Bergen) and Happy Man (Isotop Fellesatelier, Bergen). Notes on Dad has featured in group exhibitions Høstutstillingen (Oslo, 2022) and Vestlandutstillingen (Vestland, Norway, 2023).
Robert was an Associate Artist of the Liverpool Biennial (2016-2018) and co-director of the Exhibition Centre for the Life and Use of Books (2014-2016).
Paola Paleari (b. 1984) is an independent Italian writer, editor, and curator based in Copenhagen. She co-curated the Contemporary Art Program 2021-2022 at Vestjyllands Kunstpavillon and has directed the exhibition platform JIR SANDEL since 2018. She writes extensively about contemporary art and between 2013 and 2018 she covered the position of Deputy Editor at YET magazine. Her main area of interest is the photographic language and its relations with contemporary visual culture and art practices. She is also interested in the intersection between critical and creative writing and often intertwines art criticism with other forms of storytelling.
