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Originally born in England, 1957, Carl was the son of an RAF pilot, Eric Michael Rautenbach of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Tragically his father died in a flying accident when Carl was only six months old. Soon afterward the family moved to stay with his grandparents on their farm in the Orange Free State, S.A.
After a few years his mother remarried and Robbie Roberts adopted Carl, which is how he has the surname of Roberts.
Carl has a Masters degree in Fine Arts from Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. He achieved a number of awards along the way, such as the Purvis Prize for best all round Fine Art student. However, out of necessity, Carl worked as a fireman, truck driver and manager of a dairy farm before starting his career in art. With determination to succeed as an accomplished artist, he began his career as a lecturer in the fine arts departments of the Universities of Durban-Westville, Rhodes and Natal. In 1995, after eight years of lecturing, he became a full time artist, choosing sculpture as his practice.
Carl has participated in over a hundred exhibitions, in his home country and internationally. He has had three solo exhibitions and his work is presented in many galleries. A number of works have been commissioned for public display, including the Tatham Art Gallery, Anne Bryant Art Gallery and the Pretoria Art Museum. He has published a book, ‘Meeting Carl Roberts’, authored by Neil Wright and published by Wright Publishers.
ARTISTS STATEMENT
Carl describes himself as a “traditional” and “organic” sculptor. He makes objects from materials with his hands, choosing subjects which interest him or which resonate with some kind of emotional state he needs to express. Organic sculptor is usually based in the world of vision and touch rather than the intellectual sphere. The work is allowed to speak for itself and often depends on the medium in which it is executed to bring out its full meaning.
As an experienced sculptor, Carl Robert’s technical skills are now fully honed. He mostly works in wood and bone, which he collects along the South African shores and from inland forests.
Reflecting on his style, Carl states “he works like the automatic artist of the Surrealist movement in that I trust my subconscious to generate ideas. The emphasis is on ‘magic, accident, irrational, symbols and dreams’. The material often suggests images and sometimes presents them in an unusual way. The image made depends ultimately upon what lies in the subconscious, elements of chance and the spirit of the times.”
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