Beth Cavener: ‘Trust’

A Manifestation of the Human Psyche in Animal Form

American artist Beth Cavener masterfully showcases human expressions objectively and allows observers to engage critically with the essence of other beings. In her series, Trust, currently at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in partnership with Jason Jacques Gallery, she delves into the human psyche, channeling it through the skin of life-sized animals. This body of work not only profoundly explores crucial matters in human relationships but also stimulates intellectual curiosity. Her work expresses how trust is gained, lost, built, destroyed, used, and abused among us, which is a testament to her individuality and creativity.

The exhibition showcases Cavener’s long-term practice of creating animals from clay, focusing on the fine details of their facial and body tension, as well as their facial expressions. She also imbues her artworks with the effect of glass, marble, or even something soft, creamy, and fluffy, all made from clay.

Captive

Cavener’s dedication and attention to detail are evident in the notion that she spends several months designing her animal clay characters. Those creatures are portraits of people, and she assigns parts of the human body, like genitalia or belly buttons, to her figures. Cavener captures an emotion and meticulously develops the fine details and expressions in the animals she creates. Her characters are suspended in statements of fear, anxiety, aggression, and other emotional states. Moreover, she leaves room for the viewer’s interpretation, opening up the possibility of other potential realizations.

In the spacious gallery, a life-size clay lion, Shards, stands on a stone table. We usually associate lions with the state of power, but, this particular 2800-pound lion, with its head bowed, ribs exposed, pale skin, and fragmented body, represents a person or a system on the verge of collapse. Also a powerful symbol of the fall of a dictatorship, this lion reminds viewers of the consequences of maintaining power at any cost, prompting a sense of reflection and contemplation.

G.O.A.T.

Also on view: A life-size goat, embodying sobriety, gazes down at the viewers, its emotions unreadable, its golden-hoofed leg dangling gingerly. Seated on top of wooden boxes and containers of highly explosive materials from American companies, including the American Cyanamid Company, the goat seems peaceful, while instilling a sense of caution and awareness in the viewers.

Captive showcases a life-size equine figure on a blackened wooden base, the body’s form in sync with a tiger tattooed on its skin, which could represent both the physical and the psychological. The sculpture also depicts the dark side of humans, illustrating how – unconsciously or consciously – one may hold fear, obstacles, and limitations within both mind and body, an attitude that prevents a person from moving forward.

Shards

Indeed, Cavener confronts human beings’ raw and straightforward nature by embedding various emotions and expressions within the bodies of animals, which invites us to step back and reevaluate our relationships, correlations, and associations.

Cover image: Shadow Partner; all images courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery, photos by Chris Autio.