Karine Rupp-Stanko creates printed and folded pieces that explore the most ephemeral and fragile aspects of our natural and social ecosystems.
An educator at heart, she also holds “social folding” performances at community events in Saint Paul and Minneapolis on themes related to the environment and food justice.
Her work often evokes natural rhythms and cycles, with a focus on the vegetal and insect realms. It is an expression of a profound interest in nature that traces its roots back to her upbringing.
During the past two years, in an effort to advocate for more responsible consumption and recycling habits, she has been reevaluating materials that others might discard, such as junk mail and packaging.
Her latest work focuses on the binary elements that we use to assess what we see: natural/manmade, real/fake, city/nature, dead/alive being some of the most obvious.
While exploring the intersections where these binary elements break down, she also questions the role that language plays in that process, shaping our experience of nature and the stories we tell ourselves about our surroundings.
Biography
Karine was born in France, into a multicultural family of immigrants and environmental activists. An early passion for non-alphabetical writing systems took her to Japan, where she fell in love with washi paper.
The years she spent studying linguistics shaped the way she thinks of her work, not as an object, but as an act of language.The finished product is rarely meant to last. It is an expression of an ephemeral poetic force and it has one purpose:
To help the public understand, embrace and celebrate our fragile ecosystems (natural, social and built).
Other Qualifications : Member of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts Artists Co-op, Japanese to French translator, Mother, Lover, Friend, Teacher, Gardener, Cook, Traveler, Knitter.
