Cut. To make an opening or incision with a sharp-edged tool. To cut is to remove from something larger. The ability to slice through and let the light in. This work is complicated. It is not quite college, photomontage or sculpture, although all of these elements can be considered within the layers of the pieces. I am pushing the boundaries of traditional papercutting and weaving by cutting photographs. Traditional artforms that have been made contemporary. The hand cut, lifted, and multilayered works I create verge on sculpture, but remain two-dimensional as they are contained within boxes and frames. I consider myself an artist who draws with a blade, creating a unique language within the artwork. My cutting language reflects the intricacies in which I view the world. My hand cut and layered artwork speaks to the complicated relationships that humans have with their environment, and in this case the focus is on doorways and passageways found in abandoned spaces. Doors imply that passage is possible, but it is not always certain that you are able to pass through. The artworks in this body of work invite the viewer to have a conversation with the work and themselves. What thresholds will you pass through? What conversations will unfold?

Kari Achatz is an artist who lives and teaches in Buffalo, NY. Kari holds a B.S in Art Education and a minor in painting from Daemen College (2007). She also holds a M.S in Art Education from SUNY Buffalo (2011). Kari has been teaching visual arts in WNY since 2009. Kari is a multimedia artist who works primarily in photography, often hand cutting and layering her images, calling the finished works “photo sculpture”. Achatz considers herself and artist who draws with a blade, who finds beauty in the broken, abandoned, and ordinary. Kari has exhibited throughout the WNY area including CEPA Gallery, Hallwalls, The Burchfield Penney Art Center, The Lipsey Architecture Center of Buffalo, The Tower Gallery at Daemen College, The Albright Knox Art Gallery, and most recently participated in PLAY/GROUND 2020. Kari has works in her photo sculpture style in the Albright Knox Art Gallery Permanent Fine Art Collection, The Gundlach Art Collection and private art collections.

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