Karen Hansen Gray

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©2010 Karen Hansen Gray

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evolution is a prevalent  theme in my current work.  I am intrigued by how and why living organisms adapt and

survive,  re-examining  evolution in light of genetic discoveries,  and ultimately questioning  my own reality in the

web of life  I attempt to explore this theme through images; sometimes layered and complex, and at other times,

symbolic and simple.

 

I  examine three evolutionary paths in my work:

The first path explores the hypothesis that human evolution is something  we can control through our chosen

behavior.  If we mate with an intelligent partner, our offspring will be smarter, or taller, or faster, as the case

may be.  Evolution is treated as if each generation was a blueprint to be reworked by us,  regardless of the

consequences. 

 

The next  path suggests evolution is manipulated both by nature and the environment.  The influential entity could

be as grand as the sky, the stars, the moon, and the earth, or as intimate as culture, language, religion, and

spirituality. 

 

The third path negates our evolution as whole beings, or rather proposes that it is our DNA which evolves

independently and explicitly for the purpose of its own propagation and survival -The Selfish Gene. The primordial

struggle is happening, but at a cellular level, completely out of our hands, and we are just along for the ride as a

vessel.