Karen Sugay

Artist statement:

“My work reflects a passion for the natural world and a desire to respond creatively to the issues of the environment and the brokenness in our world today.

Highly influenced by Asian art and design, my work emphasizes respect for nature and an appreciation for materials as a vehicle of meaning. By exploring creative and generative solutions for plastic waste, the Circle of Life Series is an exploration of what is possible when we look beyond the narratives and failures of the past toward redemption and transformation.

Each piece is an entirely unique creation, determined not by will or a desired outcome but by organic shapes and patterns that emerge from plastic waste substrates. The works embody two Japanese concepts: Wabi Sabi which honors beauty in imperfection and the art of Kintsugi, the artistic practice that celebrates the process of breakage and repair and the object’s transformation into something more beautiful and resilient than before.

Each piece stands as a meditation on transformation, sustainability, and the beauty of becoming. “