Karen Christensen

Karen Christensen, Seafort, 2024/25, mixed media recycled materials, 165x50x50cm. Photography by Tessa Hallmann.

Sculptural installation made from recycled materials. The brutalist structure and its contents, a suspended shipwreck treasure trove, offer an interpretation of Allinn Braun’s painting The Estuary, depicting the tension between the romantic image of the shimmering calm waters, the fortress’ protective function versus the reality of the inherent danger when venturing out on the estuary. The shipwreck and its human cargo could be a symbol of the journey through life and beyond, both physically and spiritually.

Allinn Braun, The Estuary, oil on hardboard, 71x91.5cm, Beecroft Art Collection. Photography by Tessa Hallmann.

Allinn Braun (1915-2004) was a British artist known for his innovative approach to printmaking and abstract art. He was part of the mid-20th century modernist movement, specialising in lithography and etching, with works often featuring abstracted landscapes, dynamic forms, and subtle tonal gradations. His works are characterised by a blend of abstraction and representation, often evoking natural and organic shapes.

Biography

Based in Essex, I work mainly in mixed media collage and sculpture. My artistic practice probes the human condition in its widest form, using mainly found, used and discarded objects and turning them into new forms. I am drawn by the combination of materials, colour, and texture and am motivated by the interactions and relations between people, places and objects; how they relate to each other, as well as the wider universe and intangibles of existence. I often use writing, my own and others in my work, adding additional layers to it. The work for this exhibition focuses on the Thames Estuary and the tension between its surface and what lies beneath, using one of the Maunsell seaforts as its focus.

Instagram