Karen Nunis

I am an artist from Malaysia, residing in Kuala Lumpur. I grew up in the Portuguese enclave in Malacca, where iconic images and music from church choir would contribute to my early sense of aesthetics. Later, after moving to Japan, I would draw inspiration from the Japanese aesthetic concepts of wabi, sabi and yugen. I am also attracted to the use of colour in Japanese Hanga prints and Sumi-e ink paintings, ranging from flat colour applications to stormy monochromatic tones. While I have undeniably been captivated by a broader range of artistic expression from different cultures, my Portuguese Malaysian roots indelibly imbued my sensibilities with qualities inherent in iconographic imagery and also reverent hymnal timbres. I am affected by the haunting simplicity of plainchant and the inflections of modern poetry. These sources of inspiration, together with my involvement in music as a singer songwriter, continue to drive me as an artist. I work in various media: pastels, acrylics, graphite, charcoal, and oil. My pieces are primarily two dimensional and figurative, a celebration of the human form, presenting as lithe and gender ambiguous personages, in surreal and liminal states.

I am a self taught artist. As a child, I learnt a lot from observing my late dad- who was an artist himself- and was fortunate, as his 'artist's assistant', to be introduced to different types of media and art materials. As a budding artist, I would set goals for myself in order to sharpen my skills. That approach has continued through the years.
Although I am currently living in Malaysia, I spent many years in Japan, the US, and Singapore where I have shown and practiced my art; I have also visited many other countries and would love to visit more. Being in these different cultural contexts has informed me in ways I could not have expected.

Exhibitions, both group and solo:

Australian High Commission Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1989)
Galeriwan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1990)
Alliance Francaise, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1991)
From TheArte, Tokyo, Japan (1992)
Honkin Seibu Gallery, Akita , Japan (1993)
Art Case Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1993)
Minnesota State University, Akita, Japan (1993)
Bon Ton Back Yard Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1994)
Art Case Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1994)
Akita Art Museum, Akita, Japan (1994/1995)
Galeri Ai, Akita, Japan (1995)
Minnesota State University, Akita Japan (1996/1997)
Oakland Asian Cultural Centre, California, USA (1997)
Valentine Willie Fine Art, Figura 98, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1998)
Galeri Ai, Akita, Japan (1998)
Dairyuji Temple, Oga City, Japan (1999)
The Red Mill Gallery, Vermont, USA (2000)
Galeri Ai, Akita, Japan (2001)
Midori Kateikobou, Akita, Japan (2001)
National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2002)
Lankershim Gallery, Hollywood, California, USA (2003)
Yurimasamune, Honjo, Japan (2003)
Akita International University, Japan (2004)
Malaysian Heritage Center (Badan Warisan), Kuala Lumpur (2005)
TURM gallery, Akita,Japan (2006)
Hotel Equatorial, Kuala ...