Carol Szymanski Discusses Her Artistic Evolution from Video to Sculptural Systems

Artist Carol Szymanski, interviewed by Sherman Sam during her exhibition at Tanja Grunert Gallery, traced her career from philosophy studies and the Whitney Studio Program in 1982/83 to corporate banking and back to art. Her early work involved 3-channel video installations where she recorded and transcribed natural conversations, later having participants reenact them, a process she likened to early reality TV. Frustrated by the technical challenges of video equipment, she shifted to sculpture, developing a font based on the phonetic alphabet to create abstract drawings and eventually sculptural forms like horns that could be held or played, emphasizing baselessness and variability. Szymanski's work explores language and sound, with recent pieces incorporating two-letter words and Solfege icons, referencing historical figures like Guido Solfeggio, John Curwen, and Isaac Newton. She creates systems within her art, such as assigning interjections to musical notes, and reflects on nonsense in systems, inspired by her banking experience where decisions often masked underlying agendas. The exhibition, titled 'My Life as an Index,' includes inflatable sculptures and text-based works, showcasing her philosophical approach to making art that challenges traditional categories.