About the Artist

Karen Harkema is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice explores the evolving relationship between humans and technology. With a background in computer science and years of experience in the tech industry, her transition into the arts brings a unique perspective to questions of machine intelligence, embodiment, and materiality.

Her early fascination with artificial intelligence began through conversations with her father, who introduced her to the idea of machines learning on their own. While her university studies focused on expert systems rather than AI itself, these formative experiences laid the groundwork for her current artistic inquiry.

Now studying fine art in her 50s, Karen is completing her degree and continues to pursue further academic and creative development. Her final-year exhibition, Religare: Dia Logos with the Machine, marked a pivotal moment in her practice—merging digital media, painting, video, ceramics, and installation to investigate the physical and philosophical dimensions of our technological entanglements.

Karen’s work is grounded in process, material experimentation, and conceptual depth. She enjoys working across mediums to create immersive, tactile dialogues with the machine—inviting viewers to reflect on the future we are shaping together.

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Curriculum Vitae