Working in a variety of media, Laura Carton's practice explores the relationship between art, economics and politics. Her work has been exhibited at HKW/Berlin, Queens Museum, Bronx Museum and ICA/Philadelphia.  She was awarded an LMCC SwingSpace (2008), a Jerome Foundation Study Grant (2007), a Creative Capital Foundation Grant (2006), and a NYFA Fellowship-Computer Arts (2001).  “Stripped,” a monograph of her photographs, will be released in 2010 by Nazraeli Press.  Born in Los Angeles, Carton received a B.A. in French Literature from UC Berkeley and attended the Whitney ISP (2001-2002).  She lives in New York.

Realizing the tremendous profitability of pornography, major corporations (AT&T, Hilton) have invested heavily in porn without shareholder knowledge. “Investor Relations” portrays an accurate political economy of corporate America and the public’s participation in porn through a multi-disciplinary project.  The project consists of Pump & Dump LLC, an investment club that purchases stocks in porn companies listed on various exchanges and in US corporations whose subsidiaries produce or distribute porn, and its website that traces the corporate money trail to porn.  Using drawings, photography, sculpture, video and site-specific projects, Investor Relations also explores consumption, exchange and the commodity status of art.