Mary Ellen Carroll's Retrospective at CAM Houston Explores Tactical Resistance
The Contemporary Arts Museum Houston is presenting a significant retrospective of artist Mary Ellen Carroll, showcasing more than 60 pieces spanning four decades in the exhibit titled 'Mary Carroll Ellen: How to Talk Dirty and Influence People.' The ground floor installation, crafted in collaboration with architect Juliana Ziebell, incorporates six scaffolding rows named after Carroll's index cards: DOUBLING, CLIMATE, POLICY, MEDIA, SOVEREIGNTY, and BEING. Key works include PUBLIC UTILITY 2.0, FEDERAL (2003), and prototype 180 (1999–ongoing). Additionally, the exhibition highlights the Doppelgänger project, featuring All the men who think they can be me (2003). Carroll's work reflects Houston's urban environment and is accompanied by photographs from Sean Fleming.
Key facts
- Mary Ellen Carroll's first major museum retrospective is at Contemporary Arts Museum Houston.
- The exhibition includes over 60 works from four decades.
- Works are installed on six rows of reusable construction scaffolding designed with architect Juliana Ziebell.
- The six groupings are DOUBLING, CLIMATE, POLICY, MEDIA, SOVEREIGNTY, and BEING.
- PUBLIC UTILITY 2.0 creates public access to wireless broadband via unused radio frequencies.
- FEDERAL (2003) is a 24-hour film of the Wilshire Federal Building in Los Angeles.
- prototype 180 involves rotating and deconstructing a house in Sharpstown, Houston.
- The exhibition includes works from the Doppelgänger project, such as All the men who think they can be me (2003).
Entities
Artists
- Mary Ellen Carroll
- Juliana Ziebell
- Aby Warburg
- Michel de Certeau
- Eleanor Rosch
- Eve Sedgwick
- Thom Browne
- Hillary Clinton
Institutions
- Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
- Federal Communications Commission
- College Art Association
- Rice University School of Architecture
- CAMH
Locations
- Houston
- United States
- Los Angeles
- Sharpstown
Sources
- Momus —