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Alexandra Carter

Alexandra Carter: The Mother Shell from Alexandra Carter

ARTIST STATEMENT
 
I paint the female body in states of transformation—pregnancy, birth, postpartum—to reveal the visceral realities of motherhood. I want to know how this experience consumes, ruptures, and remakes the self. I’m drawn to the monstrous feminine—the reproductive body as both feared and revered, vola

Growing up on a cranberry farm in Massachusetts, I was immersed in cycles of fertilization, growth, and harvest—rhythms that shape my work. Cranberries become metaphors for the reproductive body: swollen, fertile, bleeding. The harvest’s dependence on flooding echoes my fascination with contain

I often use my own body as a model, staging performances for the camera to explore personal and archetypal imagery. I draw from folklore and mythology, reimagining figures whose transformations mirror the physical and psychological shifts of motherhood. These mythic bodies—splitting, mutating—s

Through these paintings, I confront the contradictions of motherhood—its tenderness and violence, power and erasure, creation and consumption—an experience that is both universal and deeply personal.... more

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Bona Dea by Alexandra Carter
Bona Dea by Alexandra Carter
Download Image Files
  • Alexandra Carter
  • Bona Dea, 2020
  • Ink and image transfer on drafting film
  • 42 x 29 in
  • $2,400

Paleolithic fertility figures inspire me with their exaggerated curves and their enduring presence across time and geography. I extend these archetypal forms by incorporating image transfers of berries from my family’s cranberry farm. This layering of imagery reflects the interconnected fertility of the body, the earth, and my personal heritage, creating a dialogue between ancient symbols and contemporary roots.

“Bona Dea” translates to “Good Goddess” in Latin and refers to a Roman deity associated with fertility, healing, virginity, and the earth. Her true name was considered sacred and never spoken publicly, and her worship was exclusively reserved for women. Bona Dea was particularly venerated in the context of women’s health and fertility, and her cult emphasized purity and protection. Offerings to her often included wine, euphemistically referred to as "milk," to maintain her modest and virtuous associations.