Karen Ebbs, Artist Statement

I am a Dublin-based artist working from my studio at The Digital Hub, and a member of Pallas Projects and Studios. Painting is central to my process-led, expanded practice, which spans installation, sculpture and immersive environments.

My painting practice is closely linked to my ongoing inquiry into perception, interconnectedness and the human search for meaning. I follow an intuitive process, attuned to subtle shifts, where each colour, gesture or form emerges in dialogue with what precedes it. In this way, painting becomes both a mode of making and a way of thinking - a space where something previously unseen can be revealed.

At the heart of my work is colour - life-affirming, emotionally resonant and transformative. In this time of ecological and social challenge, I use colour as a quiet rebellion against grey apathy - to offer hope, presence and pause. My material vocabulary includes paint, porcelain, mirror, plexiglass, wood, metals, foam, videography and written text.

I feel a strong connection to early 20th century Expressionism and mid 20th century North American painting, especially Abstract Expressionism. The perceptual and atmospheric concerns of the 1960s Light and Space Movement also resonate deeply with my approach.

KAREN EBBS    

Artist Bio

www.karenebbs.com     Instagram: @karen.ebbs      karenebbs@gmail.com       

Studio:  Pallas Studios, 157 The Digital Hub, Thomas Street, Dublin

Karen Ebbsis a Dublin-based artist and a member of Pallas Projects and Studios. She received a Masters in Fine Art, in painting from NCAD in 2023 and was subsequently shortlisted for the RDS Visual Arts Awards. She also studied at the Royal Hibernian Academy School, Dublin. Karen has exhibited widely in group shows including the RHA Annual Exhibition 2023. Recent solo exhibitions include Rathfarnham Castle, 2024, Farmleigh Estate, 2022 and the LAB Gallery, Dublin, 2022. In 2022, Karen received an Agility Award from the Arts Council of Ireland and a Professional Development Award from dlr Arts Office. 

In September 2024, she organised and programmed a talk series at Temple Bar Gallery & Studios, 'We need to Talk About Expanded Painting and Metamodernism' featuring artist, art critics, philosophers and educators. These talks follow on from the successful talk series which I organised and moderated in 2022, 'We Need To Talk About Paining' at IMMA and The Complex, again featuring curators, artists and educators,  All talks are found on Sound Cloud.