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Karen Ami

Karen Ami

Chicago , IL

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All Available Sold
G. Pierce by Karen Ami, Image 1.
  • G. Pierce
Linocut
14 x 7 in
$375
Civil Wars by Karen Ami, Image 1.
  • Civil Wars
Pencil on Paper
NFS
Blackheart by Karen Ami, Image 1.
  • Blackheart
Clay, Marble, smalti on wood
15 x 13 x 6 in
Sold
Swoon by Karen Ami, Image 1.
  • Swoon
Colored Pencil on Paper
24 x 18 in
$500
Reveal by Karen Ami, Image 1.
  • Reveal
Smalti, terra cotta, slate, gold, on carved polystyrene
31 x 8 in
Sold
Slice by Karen Ami, Image 1.
  • Slice
Smalti on carved polystyrene and wood
10 x 8 x 5 in
$750
Solo by Karen Ami, Image 1.
  • Solo
Ceramic, mortar on wood
NFS
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
 

My art practice and identity are intertwined through a series of breaks and separations, embodied through a matricentric lens. Subsequently, my studio process and resulting artworks explore the fragmentation of female identities through deconstruction and the reworking of personalised ‘ostraca’, or inscribed shards. Through this autological practice, I focus on the recurring themes of family brokenness, displacement, and reunion within the historical framing of a post-holocaust community, part of my ongoing art research. My art is a mechanism to connect, transform and adapt - an intersection of the philosophies of Kintsugi and the Bricoleur.

I was born to a survivor and became a survivor myself, incorporating scratches and cuts, drawing fragments and embedded inscriptions as part of an additive and investigative method that gives purpose to stories of regeneration. From brokenness, the scars of repair in my art process hold both power and memory. I explore themes connected to maternal empowerment, inspired by anatomy, nature, separation, decay, and rebirth. While contemporary life is characterised by a sequence of fleeting moments and disconnected associations, these constructions become a unified space for contemplation of the female identity, trans-generational familial memory, and the metamorphic aspects of motherhood. 

My practice combines my passions for drawing, carving, sculpture, and mosaic, resulting in palpable graphic stories and embedded poetry in textural sculptural forms and plaques. This creative process has been a study and exploration that has evolved through years of experimentation and research. Creating art using these elements - gathering images, words, materials, and textures - satisfies my need to create a visual union to make things whole. This mosaic of art practice enables my necessity and desire to bring a sense of order out of chaos.

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