Carolynn Haydu was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. Her first artistic influence was her Hungarian Grandfather who was a set builder for Hollywood studios. She received her BFA in Art Practice from UC Berkeley and her MFA from NYU. She has completed a public commission from the city of Berkeley and a private commission for Google’s new headquarters.  She has shown her work with Hashimoto Contemporary, the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose and the de Young museum. She currently works out of her studio in East Oakland.

My creative process is guided by the rhythm of breaking and reforming. I create paintings and installations with paper, cut out shapes, and layer patterns. What most intrigues me is the resurrection of a piece: works formed by layering, something new rising where something old was destroyed. The result of dismantling and reforming in my art practice allows me to mimic layers found in the natural environment. Movement captured in granite, wood grain and the topography of mountains, reflects the stability of passing time. This movement of time, captured in form, inspires my process. 

The work exhibited at Retreat shows different areas of exploration, pulled from the last few years of my practice. The figurative work was inspired by my co-workers in the restaurant industry. When the pandemic hit, I decided to create portraits of people I work with. My intention was to imbue their portraits with a sense of powerful magical realism at a time when most of us lost our jobs (due to Covid and restaurant closures) and we were at our most vulnerable. Formally, the portraits gave me an outlet for my love of drawing. 

My current body of work, of which the piece “Bolinas Ridge Trail” is a part of, looks to specific places in California as inspiration. I am creating images that portray the feeling of simultaneously walking though and flying over these places. My aim is to portray the ecstatic energy emitted by this land.

All Things Know is a show about imagination. Rather than stick to one style in my work, I’ve allowed my  imagination to stretch in different directions. While this is not necessarily the best strategy for building a recognizable, Instagram friendly “brand”, it allows me to stay true to what genuinely inspires me at any given time.