Caroline Amond: Reimagining the Venus for a New Generation
At ChaShaMa Open Studios in Brooklyn Army Terminal, the emerging painter explores femininity, internet culture, and the power of a single color. Inside the sprawling industrial halls, ChaShaMa offers a glimpse into the working lives of artists shaping the future of contemporary art. Among the many studios open to visitors, one space immediately stood out through its striking use of color.
Large paintings pulsed with an unmistakable yellow.
Not a subtle yellow. Not a decorative yellow.
A warning-sign yellow.
The studio belonged to Brooklyn-based artist Caroline Amond, whose paintings challenge traditional representations of women while simultaneously embracing humor, boldness, and visual confrontation.
Fresh off earning her MFA from Brooklyn College in 2024, Amond has already begun attracting attention beyond the walls of academia. In late 2024, her work was featured in an Artnet roundup highlighting some of the year’s strongest emerging artistic voices. Yet despite the growing recognition, her approach remains grounded in the daily discipline of painting.
“I’m just taking it slow, making paintings and seeing what happens,” she explained during our conversation.
That understated attitude contrasts with the visual impact of the work surrounding her.
The first thing many visitors notice is the recurring yellow that dominates much of her recent work. Interestingly, the color was not originally part of her artistic vocabulary.
Before graduate school, Amond’s paintings largely existed in black and white. Something felt incomplete.
Then came a suggestion from a professor.
Go to a hardware store, find the brightest and most obnoxious color possible, and see what happens.
The experiment transformed everything.
The yellow immediately changed the energy of the paintings. It created tension, contrast, and urgency. For Amond, the color functions almost like a warning sign—something impossible to ignore. What began as a simple experiment became one of the defining visual elements of her current body of work.
The result is a series of paintings that demand attention while simultaneously inviting closer examination.
Behind the bold color lies a thoughtful investigation into art history and contemporary culture.
At the core of Amond’s practice is an ongoing conversation with the tradition of Venus paintings—the countless depictions of reclining, passive, idealized women that have appeared throughout Western art history.
Rather than reproducing those conventions, she challenges them.
She describes her figures as “oppositional Venuses,” works that push back against historical representations of women as decorative objects. While rooted in the visual language of classical painting, her figures feel contemporary, self-aware, and often intentionally exaggerated.
In discussing the work, Amond frequently refers to the paintings as cartoons.
The description is not meant to diminish their seriousness. Instead, it offers viewers an accessible entry point into complex ideas surrounding femininity, representation, beauty standards, and power.
Recently, those investigations have expanded into new territory.
The influence of internet culture, social media, advertising, and the constant flood of digital imagery has increasingly entered her work. Questions surrounding how femininity is shaped, performed, and consumed online have become central themes.
It is a natural evolution for an artist interested in visual language.
If earlier generations were influenced by magazines, cinema, and television, today’s identities are increasingly shaped through screens, algorithms, and endlessly circulating images. Amond’s paintings reflect that reality while questioning its impact.
The creative process itself is equally deliberate.
Unlike artists who rely entirely on spontaneity, Amond thrives on structure and routine. She approaches the studio with preparation, sketches, notes, and clear intentions. Most days begin with planning before paint ever touches canvas.
That preparation, however, is not rigidity.
As paintings evolve, elements shift. Figures move. Compositions change. Images are edited, removed, and reworked. Sketches serve as guides rather than fixed blueprints.
For Amond, preparation creates the foundation for discovery.
The balance between planning and adaptation allows the work to remain both intentional and alive.
Like many artists, she also understands the importance of stepping away from the studio.
While art remains a constant presence in her thinking, she makes space for rest through time with friends, reading, movies, and moments away from creative production. These periods of recharge often become just as important as the hours spent painting.
Looking ahead, Amond’s ambitions extend beyond the studio walls.
She hopes to exhibit internationally, collaborate with major galleries, and continue expanding the reach of her work. Murals have recently captured her interest, offering the possibility of bringing her distinctive imagery into public space on an even larger scale.
There is also curiosity about fashion and commercial collaborations. Viewers frequently tell her they would love to see her imagery translated into clothing, bags, and wearable designs.
For now, though, painting remains the priority.
The studio at Brooklyn Army Terminal reveals an artist focused on refining her voice while remaining open to future possibilities.
That balance between confidence and curiosity may be one of Caroline Amond’s greatest strengths.
Her paintings challenge traditions without rejecting them. They engage contemporary culture without becoming trapped by it. They are playful yet critical, bold yet thoughtful.
Most importantly, they remind viewers that the images we inherit are never fixed.
They can always be rewritten.
To learn more about Caroline Amond’s work, visit www.carolineam.com and follow her on Instagram @caroline_amond.
About Tarik Talk Podcast
Tarik Talk Podcast is an international arts and culture podcast hosted by Tarik Mendes, featuring conversations with artists, curators, museum professionals, gallerists, collectors, and creative leaders from around the world.
With more than 200 episodes across 50 seasons, Tarik Talk takes listeners inside artist studios, museums, art fairs, galleries, and cultural institutions to explore the stories behind today’s creative voices.