Contact / CV

Lauriane Daphne Carl (they/she) is a French-German research artist based in Berlin and Paris, whose interdisciplinary and interwoven practice delves into the dialectic between desire and destruction amidst unequal power dynamics. Their work interrogates the impulse to destroy what you desire because it wields too much power, the inability to possess what you desire, and the violence inherent in objectifying and sexualizing living bodies. This destructive desire, intertwined with aggression masked as love, permeates all layers of patriarchy, capitalism, and cultural mythologies.

Through large-scale, biomorphic installations that blur the boundaries between media, Carl constructs ambiguous spaces where materiality oscillates between fragility and robustness. Their practice evokes tension, examining what emerges from the abyss between contradictions: destruction and creation, beauty and disgust, hard and soft, courage and anxiety, toxicity and healing, aggression and fragility. This interplay unfolds in myths—both ancient and contemporary—as cultural data carriers that reveal humanity’s enduring struggles with power, identity, and resistance.

At the heart of Carl’s work lies an exploration of resilience and resistance, particularly among women, female-read, and queer subjects navigating the imposed contradictions of imperial capitalism. By drawing from intersectional feminist discourse, psychoanalysis, and the symbolism of myths, Carl examines how these tensions manifest in contemporary pop culture, biblical stories, and ancient mythology. Their work also reflects on scapegoating, both as a spiritual and ritualistic act of sacrifice and as a societal mechanism of blame enacted on micro (family) and macro (heteropatriarchal) levels.

Inspired by artists like Eva Hesse, Sigalit Landau, Louise Bourgeois, Julia Phillips, Haegue Yang, and Rachel Whiteread, Carl creates spaces where subject-object relations remain undefined, building new mythologies that transcend binaries. Their installations evoke the subconscious, bridging the intangible gaps between language, symbolism, and lived experience.

Beyond their studio practice, Carl engages in collaborative projects with collectives and curates exhibitions, performances, and club nights to bridge the gap between inaccessible white cube art spaces and queer club culture. They also organize free self-defense classes for women and LGBTQIA+ communities, combatting the rise of right-wing violence and femicide in Germany. These initiatives underscore Carl’s belief in sharing resources and tools for protection and resistance as essential acts of healing and empowerment.