Wild Accumulations
Karen Ebbs
March 03 - April 23 2022
So bring your wild accumulations to this space and fill it to the brim . . .
The Lab Gallery is pleased to present Wild Accumulations, a solo show by Dublin-born artist
Karen Ebbs.
In this exhibition, large colourful biomorphic forms can be seen to engulf, embrace and
envelop each other - threatening to swallow each other whole - while newly “spat-out”
structures are immersed in the act of becoming. Using familiar materials such as organza
fabric and aluminium wire, these become the skin and bones of the suspended sculptures
on display, which contain embryonic forms.
The large-scale painting and sculptural installation presented here in Wild Accumulations
arise from the sheer joy of allowing the work to grow organically, each piece “carried by the
surprise of its own unfolding” as inspired by John O'Donohoe’s unfinished poem 'Fluent'
from CONAMARA BLUES. Each piece in this exhibition responds to the previous one, as if in
dialogical communication.
Important considerations in Karen’s work are colour and the vibrational language of colour,
which in these works create a perceptual atmosphere by attracting, repelling, soothing and
agitating.
According to the artist, the making of this work is intimately linked with the experience of
being present, being in the here and now, and the actuality of engaging with the physical
materials and the ensuing material processes, while simultaneously responding to a physical
space. In many ways, this work imitates how perception occurs, at one point, offering an
infinite number of possible interpretations, leaving the final understanding open for the
viewer to best guess, make leaps or assertions and decide for themselves their
interpretations of the work.
Using questioning as an important part of her artistic process, big questions run like rivulets
of inquiry throughout Karen’s work such as those relating to the interconnectedness of all
that exists; from phenomenal to noumenal reality - from the known as experienced through
the senses to the unknown, or what 18 th century philosopher Immanuel Kant refers to as
“das ding an sich” (the-thing-itself). With emphasis on this, Karen’s work is concerned with
the nature of primed perception, consciousness and the complexities involved in how we
interpret and navigate the world around us.
Artist Biography
Karen Ebbs is a Dublin-born visual artist, a painter who makes large-scale biomorphic
painting and sculpture installations. Her approach is processed-based and haptic using a
range of materials including oil paint, copper earth rods, basalt plaster, high-density foam,
plexiglass, fabric and videography; alternating intuitively in a circular, conversational motion
between drawing, painting and sculpture.
Currently completing an MA in Fine Art at NCAD, her recent exhibitions include: New
Beginnings at The LAB Gallery, Feb 2022; Metamorphosis with Artnetdlr, March 2022; Lucky
No. 7 Collaboration, co-founded and co-curated by Karen Ebbs, November 2021 and
Positives: Painting in the Pandemic with the National Treasury Management Agency, 2021.
A recent first-class honours and highly commended graduate from NCAD, a participant of
the Clancy Quay Professional Development Programme and recipient of the Hang Tough
Contemporary Print Award, Karen has given multiple artists talks at the likes of Ormond Art
Studios and NCAD, and has been awarded residencies by the Tyrone Guthrie Centre and Cill
Rialaig. Publications include the Art Folio Annual 2022 Publication, the John Richardson
French Residency 2021 Shortlisted + Catalogue and the HCE Review UCD, April 2018 Edition.
Previous adjudicated selections include London Design Festival 2014, the Crafts Council of
Ireland 2014 and the Pearse Museum, 2014.
In addition to Wild Accumulations at The LAB Gallery, March 2022; Karen will exhibit at the
Cowshed Gallery at Farmleigh Estate in August 2022.
Website: www.karenebbs.com
Instagram: karen.ebbs
Email: karenebbs@gmail.com
