CARL KARNI-BAIN
For close to three decades Carl Karni-Bain has been exhibiting across the United States especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, North Carolina and New York. His work has been commissioned by authors, playwrights and corporations. In addition his work has been on the hit CBS Series "Limitless," and the new hit series "STAR," on FOX. As part of the Spence Gallery roster for the last six years, the mixed media artist has gained an international audience through features at over 27 international art fairs. In 2013 Thelma Golden, Director of The Studio Museum of Harlem selected him as one of the top ten artists in Harlem. In addition, in the same year, he was selected as one of the top 50 artists working and living in Manhattan.
Public collections include: University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC. The Harrison Museum of African American Culture, Roanoke, VA.
His work can be found in a multitude of private collections all over the world.
“I have been painting faces and figures throughout my career as they are part of an ongoing journey of which neither I nor the viewer will ever tire."
- Karni-Bain
ARTIST PORTFOLIO
The foundation for Cani-Bain's portraits comes from the African Mask. As a child, he remembered the visual impact it had on him and remains strong in his retainable memory to this day. The mask forces a response from the viewer, whether a primitive or contemporary response.
Colour is the symbol he uses to reflect the emotional stages through which humans experience - reds for the violent past, blues, greens for the peace to come, and yellow and oranges for the bright future ahead. The latter is not guaranteed in his paintings. However, he thinks it is attainable in life.