SC Exclusive: On the Shores of Grand Cayman, Carmen Badolian’s Skin Is Her Canvas

Paris-based visual artist Carmen Badolian’s canvas is her body, an expressive ground where history, imagination, and emotions meet in skin. Each texture, reflection, and ray of light is an essential actor in what she refers to as her “visual accidents” — there is an almost surreal quality to her images, which blur the lines between reality and abstraction. The human body becomes intertwined with its environment. Fused with material, flesh shines and casts shadows, shapeshifting and becoming at times unrecognisable.

This summer, following in the footsteps of artists including Camille Henrot, Kelsey Lu, Gab Bois, Ryan Trecartin, Shygirl, and more, Badolian participated in the Open Palm residency programme at Grand Cayman estate, Palm Heights. In an SC exclusive, the artist shares the mesmerising photo series she produced during her time on the Caribbean island. The below are her words.

This collection of images emerged organically during my time at Palm Heights, where the boundary between the body and the natural world began to blur in beautiful, unexpected ways. When Keshav Anand invited me to Palm Heights, I immediately sensed the potential of such a place for my work and how the Cayman Islands and its rich biodiversity would inspire me. I was incredibly eager to let the surroundings guide and influence my creative process.

After several explorations on beaches far more wild than Seven Mile Beach, I was particularly drawn to Barkers Beach — a secluded, less idyllic spot compared to the classic Cayman beaches, but one that offered me a deep dive into the area’s rich biodiversity. I ended up shooting numerous images there, allowing the natural textures and elements of the location to deeply shape the work. After collecting dried seaweeds in various colours, corals, shells, and stones, I had to envision how these natural elements would merge with the body, creating a single, almost surreal image.

This was a deeply personal experience, and moving into action often felt challenging, almost painful, as it involved hours of holding these elements against my skin while my assistant, whose presence was crucial for my mental health (to keep me from losing it and quitting at the first sign of trouble), ensured every detail was just right. Despite the difficulties, I had such a clear vision of the final image that it helped me maintain the pose, waiting for that perfect ray of light that would make the result feel almost unreal, like the ideal vision I had been striving for.

The process was further complicated by natural elements such as the sun, the heat, the wind, and the fact that we were often working on public beaches with occasional passers-by, which meant we had to work quickly and sometimes revisit our steps to reshoot the next day. Additionally, the varying light conditions throughout the day required us to endure the intense warmth of the sun at its peak and adjust to changing temperatures. All of these images were captured using only an iPhone, the most spontaneous tool for me to seize moments like these, emphasising the raw and immediate connection with the environment.

In each image, the human form becomes a canvas for nature’s artistry. Corals, seaweed, and fine grains of sand trace delicate patterns on the skin, transforming the body into a living landscape. These interactions are subtle yet profound, capturing the quiet conversation between the self and the elements — a dialogue that speaks of both the ephemeral and the enduring presence of nature.

The process was intimate and instinctive. With no elaborate setup, I let the environment guide the creation, embracing the imperfections and spontaneity that come with working so closely with the natural world. The resulting images are as much about the unseen moments — the feel of the sun on the skin, the sound of the waves — as they are about what is visible.

All of these factors contribute to why these images resonate so deeply with me, making this body of work truly memorable. The challenges and the connection to the natural environment have infused each image with a particular significance that transcends the visual, creating a work that is not just visually intriguing, but also emotionally profound.



Feature image: Courtesy Carmen Badolian / Open Palm, Grand Cayman