Kari is an artist based out of The Model, Sligo, on the North-west Coast of Ireland. Kari’s artistic practice contributes to the development of new perspectives on our cultural, historical and natural landscape.

She has presented work throughout Ireland, more specifically at wild landscapes along the West Coast (Calafort 2019, Tombolo 16-19, Silva 18). She has presented work in France, and more recently in Brazil after she was awarded the Arts Council’s Travel & Training award 2019. Kari has participated in residencies in India (Space 118, Bombay 2016) and Brazil (Na Casa,Florianopolis 2019). She was awarded the 2020 Visual Arts Bursary from the Arts Council to develop a collaborative, site-responsive book; a glossary of bio-colour, knowledge and landscape. Kari was an invited guest speaker at Basic Talks (2019), Above the Fold (2017), Short Stories (2018) and New Ecologies of Practice, NCAD, 2012. Her projects have been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Irish Times, +Billion- Art Journal, and Bloomers Magazine. Kari is a member of The Graphic Studio, Dublin, as well as a featured artist on Wild Pigment Project, an artist based resource supporting artists working with natural pigments.

She is the Co-Director and Co-Founder of Lay of the Land (LOTL) – a site-responsive arts organisation producing residencies and public art exhibitions in wild locations around Ireland. Kari participates as artist, curator, and producer. Since 2016 Kari has has delivered 9 large scale site-responsive projects across 6 distinct and challenging sites. The projects were funded through the Arts Council (Festivals and Events Award, The Festival Investments Scheme, and The Arts Grant Award), Cork County Council ’s Arts grant and Creative Ireland. A documentary following ‘Silva 18’ project screened at The Guesthouse, Cork, and at Segunda Segunda, Sao Paulo, Brazil. At its core, LOTL challenges artists and audiences, by both making art more accessible and integrated into communities and landscapes by supporting artists to create informed artworks of a quality and depth demanded by the magnitude of their surrounding landscapes.

While studying Fine Art at the National College of Art and Design, Kari set up ‘Basic Space’ – a not-for-profit artist-led contemporary art space, and was Director of the space from 2011-2014. Basic Space existed in a 10,000 sq Foot Warehouse in the heart of Dublin 8, before moving to Marrowbone Lane as part of the Art’s Council of Ireland’s Vacant Spaces Initiative. Kari set up residency programs and curated high quality exhibitions (Underground 2011, Shop 2012) and projects within this context; facilitating the work of both Irish and International artists. Basic Space produced work for the closing ceremony of EV+A International as part of Gracelands 2012 (Launch 2012) as well as taking up residency at IMMA and TBG+S.

Artistic Statement

My practice is site-responsive. I am interested in the interaction of site-and-artist to collaboratively respond to landscapes. The process of harnessing colour from the environment forms the backbone of each aspect of my visual art practice.

I create paint from metamorphic rock formations, dig earth pigment from mineral rich riverbeds and extract botanical pigments from native plants. I search for hues found within lichen, moss, algae and fungi. The colours I seek out are synthesised into pigment, paint and ink through various colour-making processes and are used in the artworks themselves.

My paintings are gestural and experimental, capturing the essential aspects of colour, texture and emotions that I find rooted in landscapes. I drip, bruise and blush colour onto surfaces to create visually bold, visceral works that stretch between two and three dimensions.

karcahill@gmail.com

www.karicahill.com

www.layoftheland.com