Gallery Artists: Karen Meninno a.k.a. Kiran

Karen was born in New Delhi, India and raised in London, England. She gained a computer degree in the UK and moved to Boston thirteen years ago. She pursued studies in Fashion Design and Interior Design. She graduated with distinction, from Massachusetts College of Art & Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Sculpture. She is currently Co-Assistant Director of Kingston Gallery in Boston's South End.

Recent themes in Karen’s sculpture and other media investigate issues of culture, identity, alienation, ambiguity, and the concept of home. Her work is driven by the action of wrapping and binding in her sculptural work. Material has been cut up, torn, stitched, knotted, wrapped, beaded and pinned to form soft sculptures. There is repetition of traditional thread-wrapping, ornament and controlled binding. The Indian ideal is to be beautiful but in so being, the traditional dress can become restrictive – a universal dilemma for women.

She formed her own imaginary country Indaly which investigated the concept of countries and citizenship in an aesthetic manner and this work was featured in her first solo show at Kingston Gallery, "Mapping Indaly: Sculpture and Drawing" in June 2008.

Another theme has been an interest in Baroque forms which was featured in the mini-solo show in the Center Gallery at Kingston, "Confections of a Baroque Mind" in July 2009. Working on a miniature scale, she sculpted polymer clay forms in an array of bright colors.

New work focuses on the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of forms inspired by Ernst Haeckel and her interest in combining 3D textures through large sculpture and drawing to be featured at her next solo show in November 2010 in the Main Gallery at Kingston Gallery. Also, in June 2010, she will be constructing an installation at artspace Maynard where the theme is Sci-fi worlds.

Her work has been reviewed in the Boston Globe by Cate McQuaid (06/18/08 and 07/22/09) and also has been previewed in artscope’s email blast (05/29/08 and 06/25/09).

"Mapping Indaly: Sculpture and Drawing" June 2008, Kingston Gallery

"Confections of a Baroque Mind" July 2009, Kingston Gallery, Installation View

"Confections of a Baroque Mind" July 2009, Kingston Gallery, Detail View

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