“In order to understand all outside of us, we must look within ourselves.” (Arthur Rimbaud)
Alchemist, activist and experimental artist Cynthia Karalla moves her practice along the edges of contemporary reality, spilling into the metaverse and bending time linearity. Starting as an architect-gone-photographer and then trained in fine arts, Karalla’s work is best understood as the process of turning negatives into positives, of shifting our perception of the things that happen in life, just like when she develops film. What is photography, if not a tool to redirect vision and reframe sight of the sensible?
In the chaotic throwntogetherness of the post-digital reality we inhabit, the process of developing film becomes the means to navigate through relations, through the City, through bigger and smaller everyday life experiences. Meanwhile, hermetic philosophy has taught her to welcome the elements of unpredictability brought by the chemical magic of alchemical transformation.
Karalla first applied this knowledge in her artistic practice as she transfigured your everyday Joe into one of the most entrancing icons of Renaissance art history, generating the Untitled, Mono Lisa : 3,500 shots over the course of eight days proved that the mind has the power to activate inner metamorphoses and sublimate material reality.
Pursuing the exploration of this theme, in the projects Fat Lands and Intelligent Design Karalla decomposed and reconfigured rotting flesh, food, insects and the multitude of objects around us, exposing the futility of material possessions: even child rearing, when projected as an asset—as an architectural element of an orderly life structure elevating the status of the rearer—becomes a commodity that enchains us to the prison of normativity.
Through this analysis Karalla gained awareness of her own condition as a female subject and artist, and embarked on a journey to better understand herself and the potentiality for self-transformation.
For the Baby Grand Piano she investigated the discursive taboo of the penis, discovering that it can be turned into positive thinking when a mass number of women encouraged the men in their lives to process their insecurities and volunteer for an unconventional photoshoot. As a result, the negatively perceived icon of the penis turned into playful candy, colorful music, and everything that is whimsical in life. This provocative project demonstrated again that in life it is possible to move towards positive outcomes from a negative point of departure by shifting our way of seeing and framing reality.
However, Karalla’s experimentation brought her to discover that an element of unpredictability and contingency is ever present in the transformative processes that shape her life and work; chance infuses her practice throughout. The pieces in the series I Ching, inspired by the ancient Chinese tradition of divination, epitomize this finding and pay homage to John Cage by manifesting a visual explosion of unknown negatives into incidentally harmonious chaos.
Awareness of the mind’s ability to reshape our reality and of the inescapable presence of fortuity come together in experimental projects such as Seconds, Developer Sketches and Cracked Ribs. In Seconds, Karalla processes the most adverse experiences of her life by shooting the reflection of LA homes fragmenting in the water: she redirected her gaze and her perception of the visible, and turned turbulence and sorrow into beautiful glossy abstractions reminiscent of the paintbrush strokes of the great forefathers Picasso, Miro, Monet, Basquiat.
Developer Sketches is the outcome of an unfortunate Craigslist scam that made room for experimentation, became transcendental thought and by chance took on the alchemical circular form of the Ouroboros, signifying eternal renewal, perpetual destruction and rebirth. Cracked Ribs resulted from a banal accident that led to a debilitating physical injury, while at the same time giving life to an open shutter that captured the poetics of time and breath and movement through a hot Italian summer.
Indeed, Karalla’s experiments illustrate that transforming from within is the necessary prerequisite to change outer reality. In her words: “The process of developing is one of the mind, to be able to take the negatives in life and to turn them into positives.” Like an alchemist that turns lead into gold, Karalla applies these processes into her daily life and artistic practice, delving deep into her interiority and evolving, constantly, within and without, tracing a path for others to explore. The resulting works are not simply beautiful, moving images; they are recorded accounts of a transformed vision for a new way to live (through) life.
Pauline Joelle
Collections –
MOMA, NYC, / Cooper-Hewitt Museum, NYC / Yokohama Museum, Tokyo, Japan / New York Public Library, NYC / Daniel Katz, London, U.K. / Omer Koc Holding, Istanbul, Turkey / Jasmine Kassulke, Australia / Edward R. Downe Jr, NYC / Esra Ekmekci, Istanbul, Turkey / Kenji Suzuki, Japan / Verena Johann-vor-der-Brüggen, Germany / Marcus Kiefer, Germany / Nils Halberg, Norway / Ronnette Riley, NYC / Jeff Carey, NYC / Barbara Binder, Martha’s Vineyard / Judith Edge, Italy / Damiano Scalcione, Italy / Mariapia Ebreo, Italy / Dorothy Louise Zinn, Italy / Zelma Acosta Rubio, Lima / Madeleine Ludwig, Switzerland / Philipp Ringli, Switzerland / Carol Banquer, California / Mathew and Claire Meng, NY / Lisa Whitney, NYC / Alexandra Reiher, NYC / Helen Uffner, NYC / Nelson A Kuperberg, NYC / Michelle Ross, NJ / Mikky Shebrio, NYC / Patrick Kelly, NY / Molly Zola, NY / Michael Miller, NYC / Dr. Jeffery Freed, NYC / Joel Bluestein, NYC / Nathalie Bru, Paris, France / Catherine Ann, Paris / Helene Stapinski, NYC / Lee Malecki, NYC / Bernadette Beekman, NYC / Betsy Mark Meyerson, NY Gene & Doug Villani, NY / Gene Kazlow, NYC / Dr. Richard Coburn, NY / Sara Tirschwell, NYC / Peggy Tirschwell, NYC / Frank Mattondo, NYC / Stephen Barbier, Dubai / Mario Macaluso, NYC / Wendy Oxenhorn, NYC / John Gorsuch, Omaha / Roberto Di Cuia, NYC / Marianne Dissard, France / Esteban Mauchi, NYC / Bryan Lurie, NYC / Edmond Hollander, NY / Zev Eisenberg NYC / In the estates of Ali Can Ertug, Steve Kennedy, Susan Shawn and Lee Martin.
Exhibitions –
2022 – Central Park the Zeckendorf Project and other works by Cynthia Karalla @ 1289 Lexington Ave, NYC
2019 – “Cracked Ribs Series,” 16 photographies Five NYC Women – Willing The Distance Headbones Drawers Gallery, BC Canada
2013 – “Saint Sebastian” Miami Basel – Edelman Gallery
“Fat Lands” Headbones Drawers Gallery, BC Canada / Series “Fat Lands”
“Saint Sebastian” Edelman Gallery
2011 – Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Australia
2007 – “The Baby Grand Piano” The Cynthia Corbett Gallery, Slick, Paris, France
“The Baby Grand Piano” The Cynthia Corbett Gallery, Bridge Art Fair, London 07, UK
“Untitled’ (Mona Lisa)” Opera Arte e Arti, Matera, Italy
2006 – “I Santi” Headbones Drawers Gallery, Toronto, Canada
“Portfolio” Pool Art Fair, NYC, USA
2005 – “Visionari Primitivi Eccentrici” – 2005 – 2006 – Galleria Civica – Palazzo Loffredo, Italy
“Rubber Souls,” Digi-Arte 2005, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
“Busted” Superlative Exposition, Dekalb Area Women’s Center, Chicago, USA
“Baby Grand Intro & Humanity,” Young Willing & Hungry: curated by Andres Serrano at
The Jen Bekman Gallery, NYC
2004 – “Rubber Souls & I Santi,” ‘Metamorphosis di una citta: architettura contemporanea a
Matera, Bari, and Florence Italy / Madrid, Spain
“Humanity” The Underground Art Fair, NYC, USA
“Eleven” Bassel Art Fair, NYC, USA
2003 – Madonna in the Chair,’ Humanity Series, Pels-Leusden Galerie, Zurich,Switzerland
“Limmagine della Donna nell” Arte del 3° Millennio, Ex-Convento delle Suore Pie,
Brindisi, Italy
2002 – “I Santi, a Viso Aperto” Puglia, Italy
“Eleven” video project. Arteria, Matera, Italy
2001 – “I Santi, a Viso Aperto” Matera. Sassi, Matera, Italy
“Busted Prints” Because Sex Sells. Nikolia Fine Art, NYC, USA
2000 – “The Praying Mass” The Ukrainian Institute, NYC, USA
“Narcy, (short for Narcissism)” Gershwin Gallery Space, NYC, USA
1999 – “The Irony of Ironing” The Ukrainian Institute, NYC, USA
“Karalla’s Corolla” 1999 Auto Show at the Javitt Center, NYC, USA
“Karalla’s Corolla” The Orange Art-car Show, Houston, Texas, USA
1994 – “Spaces Dressed in White” The Wall at NYU, NYC, USA
“Boyfriends in Rocken Shades” Gallery U, NYC, USA
“Virtue = Rebel” Gubala Gallery, NYC, USA
1993 – “The X-Girlfriend of Marcel Proust” The AlleyCat Gallery, NYC, USA
“Christ” at E.S.V. Vandam Gallery, NYC, USA
“Nervous Collector” The AlleyCat Gallery, NYC, USA
“Comprachicoes” in the Raw,’ at The AlleyCat Gallery, NYC, USA
1992 – “Comprachicoes” in the Raw,’ at The Puck Building Exhibition Space, NYC, USA
1991 – “Eat Cake all Natural Ingredients” National Academy of Arts, NYC, USA
1990 – “Layers of Life” Museum of Contemporary Arts, NYC, USA
“Layers of Life” Soho 20, NYC, USA
“Layers” Synchronicity Space, NYC, USA
“Layers” Under Acme Exhibition Space, NYC, USA
Writings –
Present Dilated Pupils in the process
1997 The Third World
1992 ‘Comprachicoes in the Raw’
Videos –
2002 The Process
2001 ‘Eleven’ (One minute and Eleven Seconds)
1999 Narcy’ (Short for Narcissism)
Documentations –
2002 & 2003 Eleven,’ with a discussion panel
2002: Mary & Jesus,’ Backstage, Documenting the last night of shooting the still.
1995 Karalla’s Rolle Back Sculpture, Filmed by Tatsushi Tahara
Publications –
2024 Art Muse Express Cynthia Karalla: A Maverick Alchemist Navigating Taboos and Boundaries
The Art Insight Cynthia Karalla: Exploring Reality through the “Cracked Ribs Series”
Project High Art Cynthia Karalla: Alchemist of Perception and Transformation
2022 NYTimes, Sunday, November 20, A Longtime Artist Reimagines City Landmarks
2022 News Break, December 14, Gathering Features Works of Art by Cynthia Karalla for New Luxury Condo Named 1289 Lexington in NYC
2022 Lagazzetta del Mezzogiorno, December 18, Mare di Metaponto a Lexington Avenue
2022 RTHK Radio 3 Hong Kong with Phil Whelan, host of The Brew with Tracy Quan, December 5, Party Time
2020 L’Oeil De La Photographie, January issue, “Fat Lands”
2019 L’Oeil De La Photographie, December issue, “Read Rose- The Gift”
L’Oeil De La Photographie, November issue, “Italian Bathers”
Ragazine March / September issue, “Read Rose – The Gift”
Ragazine March / April issue “Developer Sketches” Sketching with Developer
2018 Ragazine November / December issue “Gifts for the Rich” Boxes filled with toxins
2016 L’Oeil De La Photographie, November issue, “Bleach / The Process”
Ragazine, September / October issue, “The Ambiguous Road”
L’Oeil De La Photographie, August issue, “The Ambiguous Road”
2015 Ragazine, November / December issue, “Bleached” Bleaching the Negative
L’Oeil De La Photographie, August issue, “Marianne and Car”, Italy
L’Oeil De La Photographie, August issue, “My Italian Summer”
L’Oeil De La Photographie, July issue, “Man on Rock” and others
2012 AS IF Magazine, issue No 2, page 4-7 & 10-13 “The Hopeless Romantic,
Imortalizing the Underdog”
AS IF Magazine, issue No 1, page 102-107 “Fat Lands”
2007 Pseuds Corner, Private Eye, U.K. No.1195,12th-25th October, “Baby Grand Piano”
Art Review October 2007
LloydR17;s List by James Brewer R11; December 2007
Bridge Art Fair London 07, p 30. image “Untitled – (Mona Lisa)”
New York Cool, Interview by Anusha Alikhan “Cynthia Karalla Plays The Piano”
2005 Saatchi & Saatchi, Lovemarks German Edition, the art directors cut. Image
“Rubber Souls ‘SunFlower.’”
Visionari Primitivi Eccentrici – 2005 – 2006 – Untitled (Mona Lisa)
Citi, Matera, Sept – Interview with Images, “In the Face of All, Santi”
The Jewish Post, New York’s Best And Worst Art Shows, Volume 31, No. 5, p. 15 & 48
2004 La Gazzetta Del Mezzogiorno, National & Regional, Fotografia moderna, “The Baby Grand Piano.”
2003 The image of the woman in the 3rd Millennium Art, Catalog
Roundtable: Art, Religion and Censorship, Conscience, vol.24, no. 1, Spring 2003,
p. 29
2002 Euorio 7, 2002
MATERaPACIS, 2002 p. Cover, 36 & 37
La Gazzetta Del Mezzogiorno, Sabato 16 Febbraio, “E New York scopri I nostri santi
2001 Mathera Luogo non luogo- Materia –Ierofanie
1999 Ukrainian Community Press, Hohol / Gogol: From the Traditional to the Bizarre
1993 Chelsea Clinton News, New AlleyCat for Chelsea. January 28- February 3