CARLOS DAVID
Multimedia artist
Through photography and film, I explore identity, transformation and life in New York City. Collaborating with diverse communities to tell stories that challenge perceptions and celebrate resilience.
PROJECTS
PERSONAE – NYC – 2018
Portraits
For this project, I worked with neighbors, friends, and colleagues from El Barrio, East Harlem, and New York City at large. Each participant was invited to step into an alter ego or a character of their choice, using fantasy to uncover hidden facets of self.
PERSONAE II – NYC – 2019
Portraits and video
Imagination and fantasy can show us how resilient the human spirit is. I worked with underrepresented communities whose lives are tied together by conflict and trauma. Through evocative, fictionalized imagery, the project opens space for conversation, self-expression, and a closer look at the social issues that matter most.
BE – NYC – 2024
Portraits and video
This multimedia project is about identity, self-expression, and how an artist changes over time. It brings together photography, video installations, and the documentary Being in New York. Centered on the resilience and creativity of artists across the city, it looks at what makes each of us individual, and how art can change us.
American Latino/a/e/x – NYC – 2025
Portraits and podcast
American Latino/a/e/x Artist Portraits is a photo and podcast project about the American Latino/a/e/x artists of New York City. I made fine-art portraits and recorded conversations with each artist about identity, belonging, and what it takes to build a creative life here. Together, the stories make a portrait of a community.
New Yorkers – NYC – ongoing
Portraits and podcast
Developed alongside American Latino/a/e/x Artist Portraits, New Yorkers is a photo and podcast project featuring the people who shape the city’s everyday life; from artists and cultural workers to doulas and professors. Through fine-art portraits and recorded conversations, the project explores what it means to make a life in New York. Together, these individual stories reveal the many ways people belong to, and make, the city.
PS109 – NYC – Opening December 4th 2026
Short Documentary and exhibition.
PS109 is a former school in El Barrio, now affordable live/work housing for artists. This documentary talks with the people who live there, the people who run it, and artists in other buildings across the city, and asks what it would take to build more like it. The exhibition opens at Artspace PS109 in December.
