From November 19th through November 26th MoonLab 42 hosted the last art show until the coming Spring. We opened our doors to the personal works of the Brooklyn-based printmaker Karly Anderson who presented her lino prints on the subject of grief. We have been working with Karly since the founding of the store and we are honored to be the first to present Karly’s works from the series “Bottled up”. From Karly: “Grief is not limited to the death of those held dear, it is all experienced from the loss of relationships, change of circumstance, and emphatic aching from societal ills. This series of prints explores the nuanced gamut from dark, intense emotions in the throes of depression, to missing someone’s presence through imaginative portraiture. Each piece challenges the viewer to confront their own feelings of grief.
I often incorporate the symbolic lexicon of flowers found in Victorian floriography, to set the tone for a piece through delicate framing of flora. Lilies for purity, marigold for grief and despair, and chrysanthemum for truth. This expands further my interest in vintage human biology scientific illustrations to inform not only the anatomy but add a macabre flair. Along with my taste for Gothic horror, which conveys itself in the deep emotions, uncanny, and sublimely romantic expressions of the women depicted in my portraits. The sinuous marks I make reveal a contemplative hush, evoking a disquieted confrontation of intense emotions. I take great inspiration from the slow, contemplative nature of creating block prints found in traditional Japanese woodblocks. Each piece is painstakingly crafted, by hand, by carving away the surface of linoleum to create the image in relief, then burnished on the floor of my Brooklyn apartment. The quick-and-dirty nature of my style leads to offset registration, ink spots, and highly saturated ink. This nature mirrors ragged expressions of sadness and blank feelings. My printing practice is intentionally non-delicate in contrast to the undulating mark making.”
About Karly Anderson
Brooklyn-based printmaker, Karly Anderson, draws inspiration from surrealism and dark imagery. Through hand-burnished linoleum block prints, she creates evocative, sinuous works addressing themes of mental illness and the indelible mark of grief. From carving into the linoleum to printing by hand on the floor of her Brooklyn apartment, her works feature marks such as ink spots, offset registration, and embossing making each part of an edition unique.
