I came across Karen Margolis' work during BOS (Bushwick Open Studio), 2011. Karen is as a person full of beautifully emission of energy and passionate conversationalist, and yet extremely tranquil in her disposition, just like her work-- There is something eternal about her and her work.
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| Acid. Photo courtesy: Karen Margolis |
In her studio, the viewers are constantly been transfixed by circles, which she draws inspiration from Japanese aesthetic and philosophy of perfection and infinity, while expressing also imperfection through the negative space with the molecular shapes of bubbles like the constantly breaking, liken the forever changing shapes of the bubbles from the ocean, constantly changing because of circumstances and situation, like our ego's interpretation of the world-- argumentative, and yet ephemeral and aesthetically stunning. The bubbles will eventually go back to the sea as water, and to be washed up as bubbles again. And it is in this form of constant forming and destruction, Sisyphus style, that constitute life's rhythm and beauty.
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| Bipolar 72. Photo courtesy: Karen Margolis |
Another very interesting characteristic is the naming of her work-- "bipolar", "myopia", "dvitva", "scattered", "compulsion", etc., makes the connection of her having a psychology degree. It is an interior monologue of emotions that are expressed by different color bubble conglomeration to translate different thoughts process into a visual form, and the transformation of different color as different feelings and emotion.
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| calculational impasse 72: Photo courtesy: Karen Margolis | | | | |
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| continuum: Acid. Photo courtesy: Karen Margolis |
Also among some sculptures that are hung on the ceiling of her studio, one group of the sculpture: "continuum" has captured the best of my attention. Its white cloud-like, irregular form and shapes, woven with wire, created mythic association, that reminded me of one Chinese Mythology, of the goddess, "Nu Guo", who used her body to mend the broken sky, which was shattered by the angry God of universe. "Continuum" is like the broken pcs of sky patched up with the goddess' body, to make the world "continued"-- a coincidence, or a perfect association? It only adds to the beauty of her work.
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| Continuum: photography Wen Wen Lin 0611 |
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