About Cara
Cara was a Sondheim Semi-Finalist in 2014, a Trawick Prize Semi-Finalist in 2012, and earned a 'Best of Baltimore' Award from Baltimore Magazine in 2009. She… more
Effigy Series
In an age and election cycle where many voters yearn for a mythical period of history where life was somehow better, Cara Ober’s new body of paintings, prints, drawings, and porcelain urns explore the possibilities of a time before time. Viewed through a collection of objects and images, Ober posits historical artifacts, both real and fake, against contemporary ones, creating a skewed and immediate timeline of visual symbol and layers. Within this context, history is no longer linear but cyclical, and the past and present collapse to influence one another.
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Effigy #1Archival Digital Print, 20 x 24 inches, edition of 10
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Effigy #4Archival Digital Print, 20x24 inches, edition of 10
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Effigy #8Archival Digital Print, 20x24 inches, edition of 10
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Effigy #7Archival Digital Print, 20x24 inches, edition of 10
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Effigy #5Archival Digital Print, 20x24 inches, edition of 10
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Effigy #6Archival Digital Print, 20x24 inches, edition of 10
New Meshuggeneh
The Tchotchke Series
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The Tchotchke SeriesInstalled in Translation: A Solo Exhibition at McDaniel College Rice Gallery October, 2013
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Dog figurine (Erase/ Go Forward)9x12 inches, India Ink on Paper
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Rug detail9x12 inches, India Ink on Paper
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African Mask, female9x12 inches, India Ink on Paper
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Jesus Christ figurine9x12 inches, India Ink on Paper
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Finland Wonderland Dog figurine9x12 inches, India Ink on Paper
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Four detail images from The Tchotchke SeriesAfrican Mask, Kitties, Dog Figurine, Matryoshka doll set
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Four detail images from The Tchotchke SeriesBoy & Dog, African Sculpture, African Mask, Man with Telephone
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Four detail images from The Tchotchke SeriesNavajo Vase, Coke Can, Lion, Dog
Pop Deco
My visual work has always included a mash-up of decorative structures, culled from vintage wallpaper, textiles, ancient artifacts, and home décor. However, in the current body of work, I have chosen to focus exclusively on the patterns I have collected over many years in order to investigate their power. Rendered in a simple palette of black, white, and metallic paint, these ornamental embellishments are divorced from their original context and take on an iconic, totemic presence.
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Installation View 3Pop Deco: A Solo Exhibition at Civilian Art Projects in Washington, DC May, 2012
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Flocking (Diptych)Mixed Media on Wood Panel 48x36 inches
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Shantung (Diptych)Mixed Media on Wood Panel 24x24 inches, approx
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Scale Study (Diptych)Mixed Media on Wood Panel 36x36 inches, approx
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Diaspora (Diptych)Mixed Media on Canvas 72 x 48 inches
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Installation View 2Pop Deco: A Solo Exhibition at Civilian Art Projects in Washington, DC May, 2012
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FigmentMixed Media on Wood Panel 36x36 inches
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PatinaMixed Media on Canvas 48x60 inches
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Horror VacuiMixed Media on Canvas 48x60 inches
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Installation View 1Pop Deco: A Solo Exhibition at Civilian Art Projects in Washington, DC May, 2012
Arma Virumque Cano
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Visa CardIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 9x12 inches
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Each TimeIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 9x12 inches
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Idiot WindIndia Ink on Paper, 16x20 inches
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I will NegotiateIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 9x12 inches
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In My Next LifeIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 9x12 inches
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The Least SincereIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 9x12 inches
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Your WayIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 9x12 inches
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To Thine Own SelfIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 16x20 inches
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It Doesn't WorkIndia Ink on Cut Paper, 9x12 inches
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Three WorksOn exhibit in Paper Chasers at Nudashank
Glittering Generalities
My work exploits a range of opposites. I combine unrelated images and text to form layers of (mis)understanding, reinterpreting sentimental imagery through drawing, painting, and printmaking. I employ a collage aesthetic in all my work, although my materials include paint on canvas, collage on paper, gold leaf, and a variety of drawing media. Working in series, I combine culturally mediated imagery from children’s schoolbooks, decoration, historical texts, and greeting cards to explore notions of authenticity, appropriation, personal identity, and vocabulary.
In my text-based works, I create a visual narrative by utilizing specific phrases and fonts to suggest multiple voices, perspectives, and time periods. Rather than illustrating the text, the images create discord, layering metaphorical and nonsensical outcomes over personal notation. These works reveals the inadequacy of words in expressing the complexity of experience, and exploit the multiple meanings within one simple phrase, exposing the gap between meaning and language.
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Forgotten Bestsellers2010. Mixed Media on Canvas. 84 x 60 inches.
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UnsungMixed Media on Canvas. 2010. 60x50 inches.
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You Need Satan More Than He Needs You2010. Mixed Media on Canvas. 60x50 inches.
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The War Goes OnMixed Media on Canvas. 2010. 56x50 inches.
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Installation View - Glittering GeneralitiesRandall Scott Gallery Brooklyn, NY January, 2010
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Forgotten Bestsellers, Installation ViewRandall Scott Gallery Brooklyn, NY January, 2010
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Your Lee Krasner - Installation ViewRandall Scott Gallery Brooklyn, NY January, 2010
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Things to SayMixed Media on Canvas. 2010. 24x24 inches.
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SteamrollerMixed Media on Canvas. 2010. 24x24 inches.
Love Letters Series
The contemporary practice of sampling has enabled an entire generation of artists to borrow freely across cultures and time periods, creating unique hybrids in a range from harmonious to jarring. My visual work has always included a mash-up of decorative structures, culled from vintage wallpaper, textiles, ancient artifacts, and home décor.
My work exploits a range of opposites. I combine unrelated images and text to form layers of (mis)understanding, reinterpreting sentimental imagery through drawing, painting, and printmaking. I employ a collage aesthetic in all my work, although my materials include paint on canvas, collage on paper, gold leaf, and a variety of drawing media. Working in series, I combine culturally mediated imagery from children’s schoolbooks, decoration, historical texts, and greeting cards to explore notions of authenticity, appropriation, personal identity, and vocabulary.
In my text-based works, I create a visual narrative by utilizing specific phrases and fonts to suggest multiple voices, perspectives, and time periods. Rather than illustrating the text, the images create discord, layering metaphorical and nonsensical outcomes over personal notation. These works reveals the inadequacy of words in expressing the complexity of experience, and exploit the multiple meanings within one simple phrase, exposing the gap between meaning and language.
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No RegretsMixed Media on Canvas. 40x40 inches. 2010.
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Owner of My Own TroubleMixed Media on Canvas. 40x40 inches. 2010.
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It's Not TrueMixed Media on Woods. 40x40 inches. 2010.
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Life's Darker JoysMixed Media on Canvas. 40x40 inches. 2010.
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Thirty FiveMixed Media on Canvas. 40x40 inches. 2010.
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Love Letters - Installation ViewCivilian Art Projects Washington, DC Fall, 2009
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Your EtceteraDiptych. Mixed Media on Wood Panels. 40x40 inches. 2010.
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Your FictionMixed Media on Canvas. 40x40 inches. 2010.
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Sad and Beautiful WorldMixed Media on Canvas. 40x40 inches. 2010.
I Love to Love You From Afar
With humor and poignancy, Ober contrasts the inherent artificiality of the fantasy with the authentic emotional weight it carries. Functioning both as talisman and shameful secret, Ober's fantasies hold a mirror up to the dual nature of public and private life and expose a blurred boundary between one's secret longings and mass media imagery. Mixed media includes graphite, colored pencil, ink, and gold leaf on Johannot printmaking paper.
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Grid of 15On hand-drawn notebook paper, Ober references the schoolgirl crush and the diary, and creates a tableau for confidential revelation integrated with public messages. In each drawing, Ober renders the face of a person she has personally fantasized about, and combines it with vernacular language â?? from pop songs, poems, and Harlequin romance novels. Each approximately 9x12. Gold Leaf, Ink, and Colored Pencil on Paper.
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Michael LandonOn hand-drawn notebook paper, Ober references the schoolgirl crush and the diary, and creates a tableau for confidential revelation integrated with public messages. In each drawing, Ober renders the face of a person she has personally fantasized about, and combines it with vernacular language â?? from pop songs, poems, and Harlequin romance novels. Each approximately 9x12. Gold Leaf, Ink, and Colored Pencil on Paper.
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Matthew BarneyOn hand-drawn notebook paper, Ober references the schoolgirl crush and the diary, and creates a tableau for confidential revelation integrated with public messages. In each drawing, Ober renders the face of a person she has personally fantasized about, and combines it with vernacular language â?? from pop songs, poems, and Harlequin romance novels. Each approximately 9x12. Gold Leaf, Ink, and Colored Pencil on Paper.
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Woody AllenOn hand-drawn notebook paper, Ober references the schoolgirl crush and the diary, and creates a tableau for confidential revelation integrated with public messages. In each drawing, Ober renders the face of a person she has personally fantasized about, and combines it with vernacular language â?? from pop songs, poems, and Harlequin romance novels. Each approximately 9x12. Gold Leaf, Ink, and Colored Pencil on Paper.
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Isaac from Love BoatOn hand-drawn notebook paper, Ober references the schoolgirl crush and the diary, and creates a tableau for confidential revelation integrated with public messages. In each drawing, Ober renders the face of a person she has personally fantasized about, and combines it with vernacular language â?? from pop songs, poems, and Harlequin romance novels. Each approximately 9x12. Gold Leaf, Ink, and Colored Pencil on Paper.
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Mister RogersOn hand-drawn notebook paper, Ober references the schoolgirl crush and the diary, and creates a tableau for confidential revelation integrated with public messages. In each drawing, Ober renders the face of a person she has personally fantasized about, and combines it with vernacular language â?? from pop songs, poems, and Harlequin romance novels. Each approximately 9x12. Gold Leaf, Ink, and Colored Pencil on Paper.