TUJ Art artist statement
Hello, my name is Brie Karles, I am originally from California, USA, and now residing in Tokyo, Japan. As a multidisciplinary artist specializing in digital art and photography, my creations capture spontaneous moments shared between humans and nature that highlight the beauty of our natural world. Through my work, I aim to showcase often-overlooked positive human connectivity and how water, light, and koi fish reflect our emotions.
I currently use the Canon Mark II G7X for its efficient and quick photo capabilities in my digital photography. My focus is on capturing sweet and simple fleeting moments in time that can be easily missed or forgotten. I often find myself pointing my camera towards children happily playing with their parents, koi fish leisurely swimming in a pond, or a group of friends sharing a seemingly funny moment. To further emphasize a short moment taken in time, I edit the photos to have a high contrast, which allows the viewer to see the important details clearly. I enhance my photos with a dream-like quality by employing hues of blue, pink and green to evoke the subdued atmosphere of fleeting moments. Using high contrast and adding hues of green, pink and blue defines my visual style, to further emphasize emotional connections within the natural world. Green and blue are often associated with sadness, somberness, and the world of nature, while pink is considered a more happy and expressive color. Depending on the emotion I am feeling towards an image at the time of editing, I chose to either employ green and blue hues to emphasize somber emotions, or pink hues to emphasize a more expressive emotion.
I create art to deepen my appreciation for life and to highlight the positive side of humanity. I often liken my journey to that of a fish swimming in circles in a glass bowl, but as I grow both personally and artistically, I have begun to feel more like a fish swimming in the vast ocean of opportunities. Through my photography of water, fish, and people in uplifting moments, I aim to inspire hope that there is good in humanity and to convey the potential for a brighter future, particularly for those navigating mental health issues and searching for belonging in the world.
Initially, my artistic journey began by exploring others’ ideas and conventional subjects like celebrities. However, my transformation into the artist I am today began during college. In my first year of photography, I captured spontaneous moments of friends, beaches, and flowers without much consideration for deeper expression. By my third year, I discovered a desire to convey my emotions through art, leading me to focus on the ethereal nature of koi fish and their symbolism in human connections in everyday life. This thematic exploration has been a consistent thread in my evolving artistic identity.
Since 2022, my ongoing series titled “Filter: Light” explores themes of light, koi fish, water, and reflections. A recent photograph depicts a koi fish searching for food on the water’s surface, surrounded by leaves, foliage, and a white feather. This composition symbolizes the human struggle with consumption and raises questions about the quality and impact of what we choose to consume. I aim to encourage viewers to pause and appreciate these ephemeral yet impactful occurrences.
The Works
digital photography
biography
Brie Karles, born in 1999 in California, USA, is a talented photographer currently based in Tokyo, Japan. Specializing in digital photography, Karles captures overlooked moments in life, providing intimate insights into nature and human interactions. Known for her exploration of reflections, light, and water, she uses these elements to evoke emotions and create a sense of euphoria in viewers. Karles’ work focuses on the role of light in connecting people and highlights
its transformative power in daily life. Her portfolio demonstrates a meticulous attention to detail, capturing fleeting moments and the influence of natural elements on our surroundings. One of her notable projects is the series “Light: Filter,” started in 2022, which showcases beauty in brief encounters. In 2024, Karles published a documentary-style photography book titled “A Butterfly in God’s Garden,” exploring themes of loss and remembrance after her mother’s passing. Karles’ first photography exhibition, Light in July 2024, at Design Festa Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, showcased her prominent works exploring human connection versus nature. Her contributions to contemporary photography resonate with audiences, establishing her as a visionary artist delving into light, humanity, and emotion.