Her work explores complex relations of color and form in a geometric idiom. Critic Lilly Wei writes: “Julie Karabenick takes the constructivist grid and explodes it … [giving] a new spin to dynamic equilibrium.”
Karabenick’s works offer enigmatic presentations of order.
Her placement of shape and use of color create complex compositions that envelop the viewer. Karabenick states: “In my ongoing ‘Composition Series,’ I limit myself to squares and rectangles of flat, uninflected color. Each shape arises from an implicit, underlying grid of small, same-sized squares. Thus a grid governs the space, making all forms and intervals proportionally related to one another. From these stable beginnings, I develop compositions that are asymmetrical and dynamically balanced. Stability is challenged as intricate and changing networks of color and shape are discovered and vie for the viewer’s attention. A precarious order prevails, but its rules remain elusive.”
Karabenick has curated exhibitions in New York City and Philadelphia. She is the co-founder and editor of an online scholarly resource and international forum called Geoform, which features abstract geometric art and indepth artist interviews. Prior to her career in art, Karabenick received a PhD in Psychology from the University of Michigan.
The picture shows Julie Karabenick - Composition 71 (2007), acrylic on canvas, 28 x 28 inches. The exhibition will run from September 7 to October 4, 2007. -- www.womanmade.org
