Karen Browning
1969, Dorset, United Kingdom




Using cast and polished glass, Browning aims to alter our perceptions of space through the material's reflections. Black mirrors have been used throughout history, from the mystical, scrying and moon viewing, to the technological and aesthetic, for example the Claude Glass used by 17th century landscape painters.
In her Black Mirror series, Browning explores the historical and mystical side of black mirrors, traditionally used for scrying (looking into the future) whilst also combining this with historical use of black mirrors by landscape painters such as Claude Lorrain.
'In the mirror I see myself there where I am not, in an unreal, virtual space that opens up behind the surface.' Foucault, Of Other Spaces: Utopias and Heterotopias.
Browning holds a degree in Architecture, Oxford Brooke's University, a Masters in site-specific sculpture, Wimbledon School of Art and a Masters in Glass, from Swansea. For many years she has worked alongside leading glass artist Colin Reid, as his studio assistant. She has been a selected member of the Royal Society of Sculptors since 2015.
Artist portrait by John Hestletine.