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Streetprints - 2002 & 2004
In 2000, CARO JOST developed a new artistic technique – the STREETPRINT
technique.
Two aspects dominate the works CARO JOST. On the one hand, documentation,
and on the other, the way we are influence by our surroundings. Just as
our own behavior and the realization of our abilities are influenced and
shaped by our environs, so too are these aspects involved in the artistic
process of the STREETPRINTS.
CARO doesn’t use conventional tools, like spatulas or brushes; the surroundings themselves are the artistic tools. Street surfaces – for example in New York, London, Madeira, Munich, Venice, Shanghai and Frankfurt – become the patterns for her work.
The moment of taking the mould from the street surface is comparable to the moment of the shutter release in photography. All of CARO JOST's prints document the singular momentary situation of the environment. Every STREETPRINT is labeled with the date and location of its formation, thus creating a document of a moment in time with each piece. An exchange takes place. On the one hand, the face of the city is im-mortalized on CARO's canvas; on the other, the canvas itself leaves its mark on the streets via a compound that resembles soft cement. The print material sticks to the sidewalk and passers-by transport it with their footprints.
In contemporary times in which photography and painting have each found their own artistic niche, it is precisely the combination of these mediums two that are fascinating. CARO JOST shows in her latest works from 2003 how she has bought these two forms of documentation together to form a new piece of work. Each STREETPRINT also contains a photo from the location where the print was made.
CARO JOST brings a further component back into her work – velcro. This everyday piece of material – a material that has otherwise found very little application in art – is a synonym for CARO JOST for human characteristics and instincts. The Velcro band temps the viewer to open it up and reveal that which lies behind it. CARO JOST asks the viewer directly about his preferences: Eternal anticipation or base fulfillment?
The tight grip of the Velcro band can, in an extended sense, demonstrate the necessity of solidarity and cohesion in life. But it can also be seen as a shield of armor or as a binding to our own potential. The challenge is clear: we must extend our own boundaries and risk losing our constant sense of security.
Through the use of Velcro in her STREETPRINTS technique, CARO JOST alludes to obscurity. Just as the velcro hides something from the viewer, the simple observation of STREETPRINT alone does not provide a reflux to the method of its genesis – one needs curiosity and the will to become involved, to let it all sink it. The question arises: “Why?” CARO JOST does not give an answer, she simply replies: “freedom is… also doing something for no reason. Will you do it?”
CARO JOST
Press
release 2004
