In this artist book, the lawlessness of piracy is a stimulus for Paul McCarthy and his son Damon to continue their exploration of the interplay between sex, violence and cultural codes.

Caribbean Pirates, an immense two-volume artist book by Paul McCarthy and his son Damon McCarthy, presents photographic documentation of ‘Frigate’ and ‘Houseboat,’ two works first begun in 2001 that take the lawlessness of piracy as a departure point. Exploring the ways bodies, sex, and violence all find themselves enmeshed in networks of cultural references – spanning from American consumerism to Disney and classical cinema – these works are an essential component of McCarthy’s acclaimed multidisciplinary practice, which merges performance, sculpture, photography, painting, video, installation, and virtual reality.

Contributions by: Damon McCarthy, Paul McCarthy, John C. Welchman