My practice examines consumerism, labor, identity, and value through sculpture, installation, and wearable forms. Drawing on a background in fashion design and manufacturing, I transform discarded consumer packaging, single-use plastics, cardboard, and shredded currency into works that reveal the complex relationship between desire, consumption, and waste.

Carlo Gibson is a South African-born artist based in Chicago whose multidisciplinary practice explores consumerism, identity, labor, and the social life of materials. After more than three decades working across fashion, design, education, and entrepreneurship, Gibson shifted his focus toward contemporary art following his relocation to the United States.

Working primarily with discarded consumer packaging, single-use plastics, cardboard, shredded currency, and reclaimed textiles, he transforms everyday waste into sculptures, installations, wearable works, and mixed-media pieces. His practice is informed by the contrast between a culture of repair and reuse that shaped his experiences in South Africa and the highly visible patterns of consumption and disposal he encountered in America. Through this lens, Gibson examines both the promises and contradictions of contemporary consumer culture.

Drawing on concepts of Ubuntu, personal migration, and collective responsibility, his work reflects on the interconnected relationship between people, objects, and the environments they inhabit. By elevating discarded materials into objects of contemplation, Gibson invites viewers to reconsider value, excess, and the systems that shape modern life.

Gibson's work has been exhibited in Chicago at Zhou B Art Center, Alma Gallery, and Triveni Institute Foundation. He has also taught art and design in South Africa and the United States, bringing a deep commitment to creative education and community engagement to his artistic practice.

Carlo Gibson

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