JULIET KARELSEN

About the Exhibition

Unlike a traditional solo show which typically represents one body of work, Juliet Karelsen's exhibit Groundless explored parallels and contact points across multiple bodies of work, shedding light on the artist’s breadth of process and perspective. In all of Karelsen’s work we see a profound sensitivity to her subjects—be that her dying father and his caregivers, the nostalgic collectibles amassed in a home soon to be sold, or the delicate matter that makes up the ground beneath our feet. Karelsen’s work revealed an acute attention to place and the way we find meaning in time, through our longing and attachment to others (and to objects), despite their ephemeral nature. The title Groundless emerges from the Buddhist concept of humans existing on a groundless ground, in emptiness, in open space, and from the Buddhist goal of becoming comfortable in our psyches in dwelling on this groundless ground.

About the Artist

Juliet Karelsen received an MFA in painting from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and was granted a full scholarship to attend the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In 2015 and 2016 she participated in fiber workshops at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts on Deer Isle in Maine and began experimenting with various form of stitching, embroidery and mixed media. Her work has been shown in Maine, New York City, New Hampshire, Boston, Ohio, and abroad in Spain, Argentina and Switzerland. She was born and raised in New York City and has been living in Maine (mostly) since 1991.