Karen Cornelius Art Exhibition OPENING May 23, 7pm MHC Gallery, 610 Shaftesbury

Karen Cornelius

Artist Statement

Wild Beauty at Risk

Wild Beauty at Risk explores both the astonishing beauty and the grave fragility of the world’s rainforests. Through my work, I focus on the exquisite, luminous presence of the jungle—a way to invite reflection on the deeper, more complex realities of how human activity and climate change are affecting these vital ecosystems.

Rainforests are essential to life on Earth. They generate approximately 20% of our planet’s oxygen and store vast amounts of carbon dioxide. They are home to the greatest biodiversity on earth, while also absorbing solar radiation, regulating global temperatures, and stabilizing the climate.

When even a single tree is lost, it leaves behind a fiery scar—a void, a ghostly echo of what once was. In my work, ghost trees become metaphors for this growing absence. They are visual reminders that species and ecosystems are disappearing and becoming extinct at an alarming rate.

There is a shadow of this stark reality throughout the work, yet I deliberately center the wonder and beauty of the rainforest. I do this because I believe that when confronted only with dire warnings, people often shut down, becoming overwhelmed by fear or grief—paralyzed into inaction. Beauty has the power to open us up. It helps us feel, connect, and care.

My paintings are rooted in on-site sketches made in rainforests around the world. I draw with urgency, knowing these places may not exist forever. In my sketchbooks, I work with ink and watercolour; in the studio, I translate those impressions into large-scale works using graphite and liquid acrylic. Each painting preserves a fragment of the forest—a memory made visible.

The interactive fabric installation invites viewers into a sensory experience of the rainforest—an immersion in forest bathing. Developed in Japan in the 1980s, forest bathing is the practice of slowing down, being fully present, and connecting with nature. Scientific research has shown that spending time in forests has powerful benefits for the mind, body, and spirit.

This ghost forest installation is both a refuge and a reckoning. It acts as a veil—covering and uncovering, revealing and concealing—a tactile space where one can glimpse what has already been lost, and what is at risk of disappearing within our lifetime. Scientists warn that if current trends continue, most rainforests may vanish within the next 50 years.

My hope is that you’ll be moved—by the shimmering light, the layered textures, the haunting absences—and fall in love with the rainforest. Because we protect what we love. And the time to act is now.