About

Karen Aarre is a Norwegian/British visual artist, born in London in 1972. She is currently living and working in Oslo, Norway.

She has studied at Faculdade das Belas Artes (Faculty of Visual Arts), University of Lisbon, Portugal, and at De Vrije Academie voor Beeldende Kunsten (The Free Academy of Visual Arts), the Hague, the Netherlands. She also holds a doctorate (DPhil) in Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford, UK, and has several years experience working as a documentary film maker prior to her artistic career.

She is a member of NBK, LNM, BO, and her work is part of several public and private collections.

Artist statement

I explore the intersection between the natural and the man-made, the wild and the tamed, the eternal and the transitory. My work seeks to highlight the magical encounters between people and nature - where the senses are awakened, and where wonder, contemplation, poetry and imagination arise.

Parks and gardens are often the starting point for my work. These cultivated green spaces reveal intricate narratives linked to the history of colonialism, power, status, human needs, and the rise of modern science. At the same time, they serve as reflections of human creativity, dreams, joy, and imagination. I also draw inspiration and knowledge from my previous studies in Social Anthropology, and find parallels between the method of participant observation and my work as a visual artist.

Aside from my botanical work, I am also a portrait artist, and regularly take commissions.