This Wonderful World of Purchase Power

My current practice reflects upon the process of human extinction within a neoliberal landscape; fictioning a world of dystopian surrealism and generating future mythologies. As an aphantasic artist (meaning I have no ability to visualise in my mind) I use AI image generators as a reference tool. I input my own photographs and drawings into MidJourneyAI to generate a composition guided by my source materials and keywords. I then reclaim these images by painting or printing them, interpreting and retelling their stories through the lens of my own human experiences and emotions.

Fuelled by my own sense of optimistic nihilism, my work challenges the notion of human supremacy by asking us to consider the consequences of our actions, and whether the absence of humanity could be considered a positive development for global health.

With a focus on facing the reality of human extinction, my paintings depict a world devoid of human presence. One rich with the slowly decomposing remnants of our material culture and infrastructures, as nature reclaims our spaces.  In using dark colours and surreal imagery, I seek to reflect on the repercussions of our current behaviours and the potential futures that remain in the wake of our passing.

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About the Artist:

Karla Healy came to GSA as an ‘eternal’ mature student, finally realising a lifelong dream to study at Glasgow School of Art. She will be coontinuing her studies at GSA by moving on to a Masters course. The goal is never to leave.

Karla has particular interests in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, in particular ensuring a level playing field for disabled artists and older emerging artists. In response to this, in 2022 Karla set up and co-organised Old Contemporaries, an exhibition for final year students and newly emerging artists over the age of 30 who attended GSA and DJCAD. Old Contemporaries hopes to create a network of emerging artists who started their art careers later in life. Karla hopes to extend the opportunity to students and recent graduates of all Scottish Art Schools in coming years . The Old Contemporaries exhibition this year will take place in September in Dundee, in association with DJCAD and Generator Projects.

Karla is actually quite a cheery person despite her fascination with the apocalypse. She is also a self-confessed woeful photographer.