Ether Body

An Ether Body has to do with the occult concept of an astral body radiating out from the body, forming an aura. The concept is reminiscent of the notion about art’s auratic dimension. However, any notions about an auratic work of art are counteracted by the radical objectification evident in Carstensen’s approach. The work is executed in ugly, base materials. First slathered with dispersion colour, the canvas was then pissed upon by the artist before he painted in the motif using alkyd enamels, asphalt and oil paints, and grease. The work was finally draped in foam scraps glued and stapled in place. The draped material drags the work down, counteracting the clearly vertical, upward-pointing format. Its perishable nature – foam becomes discoloured and porous in sunlight – also counteracts the notions of art’s eternal value.