Sculpture

Daimen J. Carlaw’s sculptures are visceral, hybrid forms that blur the boundaries between body, costume, and artifact. Constructed from found materials, textiles, papier-mâché, and layered paint, they exist somewhere between relic and puppet, armor and effigy. Often freestanding or suspended, these figures evoke a ceremonial or theatrical presence—grotesque yet endearing, humorous yet haunted.
The sculptural works are defined by texture and improvisation. Surfaces are encrusted with paint, gauze, string, wire, and fabric, creating a tactile density that rewards close inspection. Limbs, faces, and torsos are distorted or exaggerated, often resembling totems or wearable idols. While the materials may appear humble or recycled, the finished pieces exude a potent physicality—like artifacts from a lost mythology or props from an absurdist ritual.
These sculptures share a vocabulary with Carlaw’s hanging pieces: both reference dream logic, childhood craft, folk traditions, and post-apocalyptic fashion. But the sculptures, in particular, confront the viewer more bodily. They occupy space with theatrical defiance, demanding to be read as characters or avatars—stand-ins for some fragmented psyche or speculative folklore.