Inking up a wood block at Frogman's Print Workshop in 2016
Bio
Kathryn Combs is an American artist and educator who is trained as a printmaker. Her work explores relationships between technology, society, and individuals. Kathryn's work has been shown throughout the American South at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in Augusta, Georgia and internationally at Spazio SV in Venice.
Her most recent works investigate the huge quantities of consumer data used to train generative AI and algorithms used in social media. Creating a visual representation of these constantly growing volumes, the work serves as a jumping off point for viewers to get engaged with digital literacy and public policy.
Combs is currently the Studio Manager of the Lawrence Arts Center in Lawrence, KS.
Statement
Through a mixed media practice that blends printmaking, painting, weaving, and digital art, I examine how big data and emergent technologies have transformed our interactions with each other and the world around us. I draw inspiration from the vibrant colors and flashing lights often found in social media to recreate the aesthetic of digital space in the real world, conveying how our lives are lived through the medium of the internet. The intensity of color and visual noise in the work calls on viewers to consider the pressing need for us to collectively reimagine privacy, data usage, and digital literacy.