General Statement: 2026
As a lifelong collector of things, I have always been drawn to the “object-ness” of an item, the intrinsic value and satisfaction of being able to physically hold an object, inspect it, enjoy its tactile elements, and its power to hold memories. This has led me to work three-dimensionally and create sculptural paintings and objects. I have a fascination with breaking away from the standard boundaries of the format/support and I find it exciting to create a unique piece that challenges not only the concepts of what a painting is but also physically challenges the space it dwells in – even if it’s unnerving or breaks away from conventional norms.
Overarching themes within my work include ties to memory, various aspects of the body and natural world. I am drawn to multiple components of mixed-media, using various papers, organic and inorganic fibers, powders, pigments, dyes, and found objects.
Glutton: 2019 – Present
The work in this series explores identity, form, and process, blurring the boundaries between painting and sculpture. Using various materials such as parchment paper, paint, muslin, and mylar these works begin to abstract the human body. The stuffed and swaddled forms appear quite visceral in nature, somewhat even grotesque. They also project qualities of warmth, tenderness, intimacy, and fragility like an abstract nude. The work almost begs to be touched and you become bewitched by its voyeuristic appeal. The weighted physicality of the paper or painted surfaces creates an illusion of skin or flesh. By stuffing the skins the pieces take on a gluttonous life of their own.
Peel: 2018
This series evolved as an extension of my previous series Swing, which focused on the repetition and juxtaposition of lines and color to convey a visual representation of memory. Peel developed as a sculptural approach to this same concept of creating physical memories - it is a physical and abstract act of layering. The importance of materials specifically the physicality of the parchment paper helped develop this series; I began to think of the layers of paper as abstract layers of memory - peeling them back to reveal these skin-like planes. The three-dimensional qualities of these paintings utilize the importance of shadows, extending the pieces and activating the space around them.
Swing: 2017 – Present
One major memory that I always find myself reflecting on is playing on my grandparent’s double-seated glider swing. I can immediately recall that feeling of getting it in motion, swinging higher and higher. It was a place of childhood imagination, innocence and joy. This memory always puts me into a meditative mindset, focusing of that hypnotic motion and sensation. I began making drawings thinking of the physical aspects of the wooden swing, which translated into delicate, stacked linear abstractions - akin to woodgrain. This series, refers not only to memories from my childhood but is a metaphor of the physical embodiment and conceptual motion of memory between the conscious and subconscious mind. The defining aspect of this work is expressed through the weight of line and the gesture of color in a way that juxtaposes each other. Obsessive lines begin to create tension or pressure, some lines become blurred and overlap each other representing memories as abstract pattern.
Color Shift: 2021
Shifting from oils to acrylics has altered my overall aesthetics. This series, though limited, exposed a literal lightness incolor, weight, and mood. The bold, bright, and energetic colors contrast the heaviness and anxiety-inducing atmosphere of today’s world. By experimenting more with layers, I began to reverse paint the lines on plastic surfaces and incorporated gel-medium to peel the layers off into painted skins and use them as a physical sculptural element - building surfaces, and creating patterned compositions. This methodology of line-making has always been a meditative process - recalling back to my series “Swing” which used line and color to represent a physical representation of memory like a ripple or wave of thoughts.
Paint as Sculpture: 2023– Present
My process includes stuffing, layering, folding, and draping acrylic and latex paint skins, paper, and fabric as a way of connecting the physicality of my materials with the fleshiness of the body. The shapes swell and fold, and I’m fascinated by the way paint can be manipulated as an organic sculptural form and yet sometimes behaves in unexpected ways. By stuffing these forms, they can be perceived as more human and therefore more relatable. These works project qualities of power, tenderness, intimacy, and fragility, which all help give the work life. There’s also a vague erotic suggestion and voyeuristic appeal in seeing these abstract gluttonous forms exposed – the work almost begs to be touched.
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Flesh is a subseries of my work that is solely made of paint skins. My process includes layering, folding, and draping acrylic and latex paint skins as a way of connecting the raw physicality of my materials with the fleshiness of the body. The shapes and patterns swell and fold, and I’m fascinated by the way paint can be manipulated in unexpected ways but not totally controlled. There is an element of surprise when creating these by mixing different viscosities of old house paint. I was immediately intrigued by how the two colors reacted to one another becoming marbled, resembling meat or musculature. With connections to the exploration and representation of the human body throughout my work, these sculptural paintings delve deeper into abstracted anatomy.
Strange Garden: 2024 – Present
My new series, Strange Garden, continues to challenge space, as I’ve begun to incorporate cellular window shades into the work. I’m interested both in the intended use of a shade, to conceal something, but also in focusing on its functionality and form. Each piece is built using a small support that quickly outgrows its confines, billowing out in exaggerated forms. The shades are hand-dyed and cut into strips, trailing down like invasive vines from a concentrated point. The blinds also present the potential of movement within a piece. A kinetic quality that adds to its versatility of form. This also means the work can be installed in numerous ways, revealing new silhouettes and aspects of the obscured support. Shadows become more prominent, as the alternating planes of the blinds cast dramatic shapes onto the wall further extending the presence of these sculptures. The supports that remain partially hidden are layered experimental collages of upcycled work combined with new elements such as pattern texture that illustrate the history and creation of the piece itself.
Bio
Karl Goulet was born and raised in northwest Connecticut. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, in 2014. In 2012 Goulet began an internship at Five Points Gallery, where he has grown through the ranks and is currently the full-time Gallery Director and Co-Curator at Five Points Gallery, the flagship location of the Five Points Center for the Visual Arts. As a curator, Goulet has helped put together over 100 group and solo exhibitions at Five Points Gallery, working alongside hundreds of artists from across the world. Outside of Five Points, he has served as juror and curator for multiple exhibitions throughout CT including, spaces such as The Warner Theatre, Melanie Carr Gallery, Trinity Parish Community Gallery, etc. With his close connections to the arts in Connecticut, Goulet has had the opportunity to work with the DECD, Connecticut Office of the Arts, as a juror for Public Art in 2018 and as a judge for the Litchfield Hills Creative Awards in 2019. Also in 2019, he was selected to speak on a three-person panel on the role of artists in the community and as an artist and activist at the University of Hartford’s Alumni Forum. He currently serves on the UofH Hartford Art School’s Board of Corporators.
As an emerging-exhibiting artist, Karl creates work that spans multiple disciplines including painting, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media. Drawn to the physicality of materials, and with a love of process, he creates layered abstract forms that embody concepts of identity and memory. He has exhibited his work nationally and is currently a member of the Five Points Launchpad, where he shares a studio. In 2021, he was awarded an Emerging Recognition Fellowship Award from the Connecticut Office of the Arts.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
2014
BFA in Painting, Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, West Hartford, Connecticut
2011
Associates Degree in Fine Arts, Northwestern Connecticut Community College, Winsted, Connecticut
Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2024
Solo installation - Five Points White-Box
2023
Real Wall Installation, Curated by David Borawski, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
2020
Paper as Metaphor, Curated by Matt Best, Three Rivers College Gallery, Norwich, CT (2-person show)
This Will Only Hurt a Little, Hudson on Pratt Gallery, Hartford, CT (solo)
2017
Ivory and Obsidian, Northwestern Connecticut Community College Gallery, Winsted, CT (solo)
Two Dogs, Cornwall Library Art Gallery, Cornwall, CT (solo)
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022
Launchpad 2022, Five Points Annex Gallery, Torrington, CT
2021
Shape in All Its Forms, SITE: Brooklyn Gallery, NY
Paint 2021, Curated by Michelle Y. Loh, Silvermine Galleries, New Canaan, CT
Life Goes On…, Five Points Annex, Torrington, CT
USPS Art Project, Greenly Arts Space, Signal Hill, CA
Launchpad 2021, Five Points Annex Gallery, Torrington, CT
2020
ART in PLACE, Online Exhibition, Standard Space, Sharon, CT (JUNE 2020)
All of This is Who I Am…, Kehler Liddell Gallery, New Haven, CT
USPS Art Project Exhibition, Ely Center for Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT
Think•Again, Five Points Annex, Torrington, CT
USPS Art Project Exhibition, InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA
2019
Today//Tomorrow, Curated by Erin Cunliffe, FP Annex, Torrington, CT
Expanded Vocabularies, Curated by Melanie Carr, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
Ear to the Ground, Curated by Julie Torres, Ely Center for Contemporary Art, New Haven, CT
In.Sight, Curated by Jessica Fallis, Rose Orelup, FP Annex, Torrington, CT
2018
And By Necessity, Melanie Carr Gallery, Essex, CT
For Lack of Better Words, Curated by Zeb Mayer, Washington Art Association, Washington, CT
2017
New New, FP Annex Gallery, Torrington, CT
FPG Biennial Juried Exhibition, Juried by Joe Fig, Torrington, CT
Art Heist: Five Points Gallery, Torrington CT.
2016
Incubator Artists, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
Art Heist: Five Points Gallery, Torrington CT.
2014
The Practice and the Process, Joseloff Gallery, Hartford Art School, West Hartford, CT
Curating Experience
2017- Present - Co-curator for all exhibitions - Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
2021
Juror - CT Regional Scholastic Art Awards
2020
Think Again, Five Points Annex, Torrington, CT
2019
Curator for Art in the Orchards 2 at Shepaug Crossing, Private Residence, Bantam, CT
2018
Curator, And By Necessity, Melanie Carr Gallery, Essex, CT
Curator for Art in the Orchards at Shepaug Crossing, Private Residence, Bantam, CT
2017
Co-curator With Krista Narciso - Process & Product, Nancy Marine Theatre Lobby, Warner Theatre, Torrington, CT
Co-juror - Memorial Day Juried Show, Trinity Church Gallery, Lime Rock, CT
2016
Curator - Incubator Artists exhibition, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
Awards
2021
Emerging Artist Recognition Fellowship Award, Connecticut Office of the Arts, DECD
Relevant Work Experience
2013 – Present: Five Points Arts, Torrington CT
Current Position: Gallery Director, Co-curator & Art Handler for all exhibitions.
Former Positions: Gallery Manager, Gallery Assistant, Intern, Volunteer
2016-17
Public Arts Juror for the Joyner Health and Science Center, NCCC, via the Connecticut Office of the Arts, Department of Economic and Community Development, Hartford, CT
Speaking Engagements
2019
Panel, Expanded Vocabularies Artist Talk, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
Panel, “Artist as Activist/Artists in the Community”, Hartford Art School Alumni Forum, West Hartford CT
2018
And By Necessity: A Critical Conversation, Melanie Carr Gallery, Essex, CT
Team Success Scholars Panel, NCCC, Winsted, CT
2016
Artists' Conversation: Incubator Artists, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT
Group Initiatives
2017-Present
Member of the Five Points Launchpad Initiative
2016
Founding Member, Five Points Incubator, Torrington, CT
Selected Collections
Printmaking Archive, Hartford Art School, West Hartford, CT
Various private collections.