Art Forms: Visual Art, Film, Curate, Sound and Performance

Bio:

Karen Donnellan attained a B.des in glass from the National College of Art & Design, Dublin and a Masters of Fine Art from the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York. Her practice as an artist is concerned with illustrating that which cannot be held physically; the intangible essence of things.

Karen has exhibited at venues including the Tushanwan Museum, Shanghai; Oliver Sears Gallery, Dublin and the Burchfield Penney Art Center, New York. She presented “Cercle”, a solo exhibition of new work, at the National Craft Gallery of Ireland in 2014. Karen is currently an Assistant Professor of Sculpture at Alfred University, NY; where she heads the glass casting facility at the National Casting Center.

Karen employs a wide range of media including; glass, sound, light, photography and film. The role of glass is crucial, for its ability to hold light and speak of the mystical.  She is drawn to it for its elemental facets; firstly by ether, but also by water, fire, earth, and air. 

Processes are integral to the concept, where intricate methods like glass blowing and drawing are treated as a meditation or mantra.

The circle—a universal symbol and a symbol of the universe—is a recurring motif as an invocation of the divine feminine, balance and infinity. The work is consistently informed by her interest in the metaphysical and the cathartic potential in the manipulation of subtle energy and material. Karen's training in the energy healing modalities known as Reiki and Seichem and the holistic philosophies surrounding them have a prevailing influence.

Cercle, Donnellan’s most recent body of work is a meditation on the act of drawing a circle. Central to the work are the sounds of drawing, interwoven with sacred Solfeggio frequencies. The ambient sound is complimented by blown glass amplifiers, some of which emanate sound, while others merely evoke it.

O from Karen Donnellan on Vimeo.

Contact information and further details:

Website: www.karendonnellan.com

Email: karenmdonnellan@gmail.com

Twitter: @donnellankaren

Instagram: karendonnellan

Soundcloud: Karen Donnellan