Karen Uribarri

My paintings reflect a lot of who I am, of my passionate essence. They are full of life and run through the entire colour palette. Each animal transmits strength, intensity and liveliness. In some of my works I have used a palette knife to create layers of texture and volume, but only a brush in some others. All of them are painted with acrylics that go through the abstract, the figurative and the intuition, using contemporary elements of pop art.

Sometimes I imagine my animals watching me, as if we were able to communicate through a common language. While painting them, fantasies about their story, their environment and their thoughts roam inside my mind.

Some other times I have started drawing them and, as I start putting some colour on them, they transform into completely different creatures, like they had always been there and were just waiting to appear while applying the first layer of paint.

Uribarri portrays mainly wild animals that convey strength, intensity and liveliness through a palette of bright colours and the use of the palette knife to add texture and density to the paintings. She has also explored different subjects such as women, and water / sea environments.

Her style has been defined as “vibrátil”, Spanish word meaning vibratile (vibrating or able to vibrate).

Painter (born at Santiago, 1974).

I’m a professional journalist, writer, and Sexual Therapist, with 3 published books. I started painting about 7 years ago as a hobby, and a couple of years ago as a full-time occupation. Even though most of my painting comes from intuition, I have taken courses with local artist Verónica Allamand and the Uruguayan artist Natalia Perelló.

During 2021 I was selected to be part of CHILARTe exhibit, which took place in Distrito de Lujo (Luxury District) at Parque Arauco Mall in Santiago, and later in Antofagasta as well. Some of my paintings have been exhibited there since then.

During this year, I had some of my paintings at the Luxembourg Art Fair that took place in June, and later at Galería Gaudí in Madrid. Currently my paintings are at CHILARTe gallery again.