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Photographer Karen Jerzyk’s Surreal Scenes Offer Open Narratives

Photographer Karen Jerzyk creates surreal works that use often overlooked spaces and themes of both horror and the fantastic. Despite what seems like a complex narrative in each piece, the artist insists that each photo is open to interpretation. She simply aims to invoke “thought and emotion.”

Photographer Karen Jerzyk creates surreal works that use often overlooked spaces and themes of both horror and the fantastic. Despite what seems like a complex narrative in each piece, the artist insists that each photo is open to interpretation. She simply aims to invoke “thought and emotion.”

“I create fantastical scenes in abandoned spaces, mostly hospitals, asylums, and houses (which has unfortunately led to a few run-ins with the law),” the artist says. “Aside from this, I use a tiny 7-by-7-foot room in my basement to fully fabricate scenes.”

The artist says she’s spent hours upon hours cleaning and attempting to a rejuvenate a space and its items to their former intentions. In August 2014, the artist was arrested during the creation of one of these projects and garnered national attention for her efforts. Today, she travels the U.S., capturing a diverse array of personalities.

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