Kari Achatz was born in 1985 in Buffalo, New York. From a young age, she has been interested in colors, shapes, forms and how these elements combined to create artwork. She works primarily in photography, often hand cutting and layering her images, calling the finished works “photo sculpture”. She expresses the significance of the multi layered element of her works in her statement:

“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. I remove and pierce my photographs to reveal the hidden spaces, the colorful stories that lie beneath. Preserving a slice of history, in this time and this moment. My hand cut and layered artwork speaks to the complicated relationships that humans have with their environment.”

Color has always come first in Achatz’s work, with shape and form coming second. The color palettes that influence her photographs and abstract works derive from her interactions with objects that have natural affinity. [1]

Feeling a deep connection towards the visual arts and wanting to share her passion for the arts with others, Achatz decided to pursue a career in Art Education. She 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). She has been teaching visual arts since 2009, and currently teaches at Nichols School.

Achatz has exhibited throughout the WNY area including CEPA Gallery, Hallwalls, The Burchfield Penney Art Center, The Lipsey Architecture Center of Buffalo, and The Tower Gallery at Daemen College. She has works in her photo sculpture style in the Albright Knox Art Gallery Permanent Fine Art Collection.

To learn more about Kari Achatz visit www.kariachatz.com.