Carrie Joseph Vouteau
Art is only political aesthetically
Biography
Born in Paris to a Moroccan mother and a Caribbean father, Carrie Joseph VouTeau – CVT grew up between the vibrancy of Algiers, where her parents worked as cooperants, and the more austere atmosphere of Savoie. From an early age, she found refuge in literature and the arts, setting the foundation for a life entirely devoted to creativity. After attending the Beaux-Arts, she traded paintbrushes for books, becoming a bookseller, only to return to painting later as an independent artist. Today, she makes a living through both her art and her writing.
Signing her works CVT, she is a multifaceted artist—both a painter and a writer. Her pictorial work is deeply influenced by her multicultural background and her passion for blending genres. Her characters oscillate between the unreal and the real, capturing a humanity tinged with melancholy and wonder. She draws inspiration from various influences, merging comics, manga, and classical painting to bring to life beings that do not exist but could.
Her work often takes the form of a denunciation of injustice, using painting as an engaged form of expression, where literary references come to life on the canvas. “La Vie devant soi,” “Les Fleurs du mal,” “1984”—all these texts find new meaning through her art. But CVT is also the author of a unique literary universe. She is best known for Albert le chat rose, a character she first painted before bringing to life through a book series. Her imagination also unfolds in a fantasy trilogy for readers aged 7 to 77, which has been translated into English and Italian. At the same time, she delves into deeper themes in powerful works such as “Les Maux Passants,” “Batterie Faible,” and “Qui âne me suive.” She also engages in a literary reflection on consolation, continuing the dialogue initiated by Stig Dagerman. In “Notre besoin de consolation est impossible à rassasier,” the Swedish author expressed an insatiable quest for solace. In response, CVT takes a more assertive stance in “Notre besoin de consolation était impossible à rassasier,” offering a radical and personal vision of this existential theme. Whether wielding a brush or a pen, Carrie Joseph VouTeau weaves a universe where art and literature intertwine, giving birth to works that are as visual as they are narrative, as engaged as they are imaginative.
Influences
Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Henri Matisse, henri rousseau, Irma Stern, jean Dubuffet
Education
2000-2002 École des Beaux Arts Besançon, France
The artist at work
Solo Expositions
2022 Expo de novembre à Janvier Le petit Comité À Perpignan, Pays Catalan, France
2022 Expo de septembre à décembre Les Délices du Liban À Perpignan, Pays Catalan, France
2020 Expo juillet et Août Auberge de Jeunesse À Empurany, Ardèche, France
2018 Expo Permanente Modane, Savoie (73), France
2015 Expo permanente Saint Jean de Maurienne, Savoie (73), France
Collective Expositions
2024 Jam Session Le Bloom La Seyne sur Mer, Coté Azur, France
Permanent Collections
2024 Aymio La Garde, Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, France