ARTIST STATEMENT
The sum of my life, from an abusive childhood to five years ago, has been lived hidden by disappearing or suspending in another dimension of reality called invisibility. It was my superpower. I battled a learning disability, lived homeless as a young adult, fought to survive respective abusive relationships, and literally died for a few minutes after a surgical mistake. No one would listen to my imploration. Eventually, I stopped looking for help, and vanished. It was safer. This artwork tells my experience of the societal norms of disregarding the dissipated “self” of human beings who deserve to be seen, heard, and understood particularly those who decisively hide as self-preservation. A group of mostly women have been disregarded for 12,000 generations and made silent about domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorism, coined by the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, is an abusive systemic act of a spouse, partner, or family member who surreptitiously condemns, intimidates, criticizes, and verbally threatens another to whittle the person into a passive controllable nothingness. No civil laws prevent this kind of abuse or protects the harmed due to the denial of its existence. The individual choice to stay silenced, to hide, and become a prisoner to the personal terrorism is safer for the individual. Current civilization cannot and does not want to admit this kind of cultural trauma exists. These pieces are expressions of my existence as the unseen and dismissed and my politically stoked cry to be heard.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Two -Time EMMY Award Nominated and EMMY® AWARD winning, internationally known American artist Karen Mosbacher is a multidisciplinary artist, known for the synesthetic qualities in her work. Karen currently exhibits at Auric Gallery, Colorado Springs, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, Victoria at Home, Santa Fe, and JRB ART at the Elms Gallery, Oklahoma City. Mosbacher’s multidisciplinary work focuses on painting, mixed media, encaustic, sculpture, and installation work. Recently, Mosbacher was entered into The National Library of Israel, located in Jerusalem, which is dedicated to the preservation of Jewish culture, alongside Dr. Ofer Ben-Amots for her paintings of many of his music compositions. She was chosen to create paintings for a CD cover for Dr. Ben-Amots, Israel and Dr. Jennifer Barker, Ireland. Mosbacher’s upcoming works are collaborative in nature and will present throughout 2024 in varying cities. Her recent work is painting live with emerging and professional musical groups. Mosbacher is commissioned by composers, performers, and music enthusiasts. Collateral BEAUTY is Mosbacher’s politically stoked cry for the halt of silent abusive relationships. In November 2023, Mosbacher exhibited the first of the series, “No More Silence,” which relates to speaking out about silent abuse in relationships both romantic and otherwise. Ms. Mosbacher began this body of work for herself, however quickly realizing it is for anyone who feels invisible, criticized, or controlled so that they cannot be who they truly, beautifully, and deeply are.
© Karen Mosbacher