Carlos Aires

Carlos Aires (Spain, 1974) earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Granada in 1997 and completed graduate studies at the Fontys Academy in Tilburg, the HISK in Antwerp, and Ohio State University. He works in sculpture, installation, photography, video, and printmaking, as well as techniques such as screen printing and taxidermy.

His work examines popular culture, representations of power, and the contradictions of contemporary society, addressing themes such as consumerism, violence, sexuality, religion, and death. He juxtaposes everyday objects and cultural icons to create contrasts between the festive, the catastrophic, the playful, and the perverse. His practice combines Baroque elements with an unorthodox reinterpretation of conceptual art and draws on materials such as ceramics, metal, and wood, for which he collaborates with specialized artisans.

He has exhibited at institutions such as the CAC Málaga, the MACBA, the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, the Carrillo Gil Art Museum, and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Art, in addition to participating in the Bucharest and Thessaloniki biennials. Among his awards are the Fulbright Fellowship, the Belgian Young Art Prize, the 2008 Caja Madrid Generation Prize, and the First Andalusian Young Artists Prize. His work is included in collections such as those of the CAAC, the Bank of Spain, ARTIUM, MACBA, and the Fondation Francès, among others.