Sushi and the King

Karen’s figures are always wearing extravagant costumes and masks. Like they just stepped out of a fairytale.

Similar to many other works by Karen this artwork looks like time is standing still. In the middle of a story. When you look at it, can you think of what kind of story it might be a part of? Who is this person? A he or a she? Happy or sad? Why do you think that?

Have you seen Karen’s work before? Than you will undoubtedly recognize this sculpture. If you’re seeing it for the first time right now, the style will stay with you forever. There are very few contemporary artists who have such a recognizable style.

A lot of sculptors use stone, bronze or plaster, but Karen uses paper. Aluminum and glue help his sculptures withstand the test of time. To keep his sculptures sturdy and looking beautiful Karen uses the strongest and fanciest types of paper and indestructible glue.

This work is called Sushi and the King. This king is all decked out in a colorful whirlwind of paper. How many different colors do you see?

Before Karen moved to the Netherlands the was a sports teacher and a boxer in Armenia. In 1998 he left his home because of political tension in the region. When he got to one of the Dutch asylum seekers centers he started painting and drawing. In 2006 he got into one of the most prestigious fine arts masters in the Netherlands, the Rijksacademie van Beeldende Kunsten. Without any real prior fine arts education. The start of a marvelous career, full of prizes, stipends and purchases by museums

If you were a king or queen and you were always allowed to pick whatever you wanted to eat, what would you choose? And if it could be anything at all? Would you pick sushi? Just like this king. Or burgers? Maybe cake? Or something completely different?