Open: Wednesday 12 - 4pm; Thursday & Friday 11am - 4pm; Saturday 11am - 3pm; and by appointment
Karen Salter - Artist

Karen Salter

As a child in the 1970s I wanted to grow up to be an air hostess, wear glamorous clothes and live in the ‘Brady Bunch’ house. As an adult these childhood aspirations have morphed into a sense of nostalgia for the world I optimistically viewed back then. This nostalgia combined with my interest in mid-20th century social and design histories permeates my art practice. It is expressed in my ‘house portraits’ of Mid-Century Modern homes located around the neighbourhoods I grew up in.
The paintings are informed by the stylistic simplicity of 1960s postcards. Exaggerated perspective, areas of flat colour, shadow placement and no superfluous detail allow the design elements of the houses to be the focus of the work. Inspired by the architecture, interiors, graphic design and fashion of the mid-20th century I seek to capture its essence, as idealised by my childhood self. This is at the core of my practice.
EDUCATION
2010 – 2013 Diploma of Visual Art, Centre for Adult Education (CAE), Melbourne
2006 Foundation Studio Arts, Victorian College of the Arts
2002 Graduate studies in Art History, University of Melbourne (incomplete)
1984 -1988 Bachelor of Arts Interior Design, RMIT

Solo Exhibitions

2017 Who Remembers This House?, The Gallery at City Library, Melbourne

Additional Info

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2017 Hudson Brown, Concrete Playground, September 11, 2017
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