Abstract nominee

A study in anthropomorphism, because as Humans, we often have the need to find the ‘human’ in other forms. I was surprised to see shapes of human faces in some of my earlier photographs. A painted wall in Hoi An Vietnam was no longer a two dimensional panel of yellow and grey, but a 3D series of faces rising out from their painted weathered wall. I started seeing faces in more of my images and this led me to seek out further anthropomorphic forms. The craggy outcrops of the Bombo Headland on the South Coast near Kiama NSW whisper quietly to each other... An Ancient Whisper... More exposed rocks show themselves as faces pressed together. A peeling decal on a dumpster and the blurred valve on a passing train. My camera has guided me to these images and now I am actively seeking them out. Do you see what I see?

A graduate of Sydney College of the Arts, Karen is a photographer who images everyday objects and locations, isolating them from their mundane environment to show each in an entirely new light. Her subject matter ranges from weathered external walls, underground car park basements to outdoor skip bins – from locations as diverse as Outback Australia to Vietnam.