Rosa Parks Blvd by Spring HS Karolina Karlic

Karolina Karlic
Currently residing in Minneapolis, MN

website: http://karolinakarlic.com

Work Statement
"Why did we come here?" I asked years later. It was probably the first time my father answered any of my questions truly from his heart. "You should never abandon your home," he said. I realized his regret, in "jumping the gun", losing friends, family, and career, while gaining a life for his daughter. Just as my father built pride in his life here in America, I cherish the remarkable circumstances that the people of Detroit endure.

The resulting work is my continued quest to understand how pervasively Detroit and its people have transformed me into who I am today, and have continued to push me away from where my parents came from.

I continue to attempt to define myself and have a fascination with the unappreciated or those with great desires.

My inspiration comes through my research on master painters of Poland whom never received acknowledgement in their lifetime and from within the writings of ethnographic studies.

Bio
On the streets of Detroit in 1990, I was a white girl exactly where I should be. My family emigrated from Poland in the late 80's. As a young girl my father would say, "We came here for you." At the time Poland was under communist rule and my father, as an engineer, and a highly educated man, still had to wait in line for bread for more than a day to provide for his family. As smart as he was, he understood that he could do great things in the auto industry, especially in the land of opportunity.

I always carried a camera, fascinated with recording my life, while analyzing and holding onto what could be lost moments. My memories form Poland stayed in Poland and my experiences here were not a part of my history but a start to my new understanding of this beginning.

I received my BFA from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.