Caroline LaCava (b. Long Island, NY 1997) is a New York City-based artist who displays her neon in ways that contradict traditional signage. She felt straddled between her interest in 2D and 3D mediums until she was introduced to glass at The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. After graduating with her BFA in 2019, she delved deeper into the technicalities of bending glass while working in production sign shops in Brooklyn. She has since spent most of her time using those skills to execute a new body of sculptural work.
Caroline makes her contour line drawings come to life when she enters the neon shop. Playing with line and perspective enables her to show multiple images through a single tube of glass. She finds a thrill in not being what people perceive her to be, leading her to explore optical illusion in her work. Creating double image through glass requires constant trial and error, which Caroline relates to her lived experience as someone who is frequently reinventing herself.