Inside the CARC Lab

By Lisa Knoll

20/08/2026

Redefining the Gallery as a Living Experiment

When most people think of an art gallery, they think of a quiet, sterile white room where you look at finished objects. CARC is actively trying to destroy that stereotype through its flagship initiative: the CARC Lab.

The core vision of the CARC Lab is to transform the traditional gallery space into a dynamic hub for live experimentation, creation, and community engagement. Instead of a resting place for dead objects, the lab turns the gallery into a workshop. Here, innovative partnerships between artists and scientific or sociological researchers are put into practice. Visitors aren't just passive consumers of art; they become witnesses to—and participants in—an ongoing creative experiment. It’s a space where failure is allowed, iteration is encouraged, and the creative process itself is put on display.

CARC’s curatorial philosophy can be felt through its public exhibitions and cross-disciplinary showcases, often hosted in partnership with spaces like Atticus Arts Gallery and the Grampian Hospitals Art Trust. Rather than focusing purely on commercial appeal, CARC’s curated events dive headfirst into complex psychological and existential themes.

Recent showcases highlight the sheer variety of their curation: from exploring decay and memory through oil art layered with haunting soundscapes (such as Silvio Vlahovic's Dissonant Silence), to navigating geopolitical and emotional divides in platforms like NEITHER / NOR: The Intimate Geography of Contradictions. By backing highly conceptual solo projects and international collectives, CARC consistently uses its public programming to prove that contemporary art is a powerful lens for questioning identity, perception, and the friction of a changing world.