Carsten ten Brink is an international artist, photographer and writer:

Art and photography:

Carsten came to painting and printmaking from a background in photography.

In both travel and art, he is attracted by the brighter colours and the skies, frequently free of haze, of Africa, Latin America and Asia.

His current oil paintings reflect particular interest in images of people in their environment and, like much of his photographic work, focuses on candid or street photography images for inspiration.

One of his principal themes is narrative and many of his paintings ask the viewer to consider what the individuals portrayed are doing or thinking.

Having been raised in Japan, it is perhaps not a surprise that he enjoys printmaking, and that much of his practice is relief-cut imagery, such as woodblock printing.

Writing:

Carsten's first attempt to write fiction was an abandoned novel as a teenager, and he has abandoned several since.

In the last decade he has completed drafts of two novels, which he is currently editing. During the Covid lock-down period, in the absence of travel and related photography and the closure of studios and art spaces, he dedicated his time to writing. His work-in-progress, on top of the two completed novels, includes two as-yet-unfinished-but-progressing novels and dozens of shorter pieces.

Much of his writing reflects his international travel and his interest in politics, injustice and personal identity.


For further information about Carsten's art and writing, please visit the appropriate galleries