Carly Ostler

Artist Statement

My work explores personal and collective transformation. Having studied trauma in the field of psychotherapy for the past 20 years, I’ve found that despite the incredible ripple effect of personal healing, collective healing is needed to change systemic factors contributing to harm. My interest in making art developed as a mechanism for collective change. Art has a broader reach than individual therapy, thus my interest in collective change has moved to what has the greatest impact for preventing the harm that I’ve so intimately known in my therapy office.

In trauma work, the general consensus is to slow down to speed up; that minimizing distractions and focusing attention is the only way to process the entirety of what becomes stuck. The difficult work of looking, feeling and letting ourselves evolve requires time and intention. I use the same practices of embodiment, presence, curiosity, play and non-judgement in my art practice to allow for material to draw out meaning.

I work with my body in relation to specific, meaningful places, along with symbols used to oppress, contain and control. This joining transmutes pain into beauty. It invites you to slow down and consider what our lives are made of; what we’ve made of what we’ve been through. My work invites slow, powerful reflection on mundane life.