In the window of B612 Gallery is one of my favorite works in this series of ten works by Karen Chang called “Metamorphosis.” “She Who Brings the Dawn” depicts a young woman wearing a glowing yellow and gold cloak who moves forward with determination. She appears to be pregnant, and the many shadows behind her emphasize leaving old fears behind. The golden hues that the artist has adopted here differ from the other paintings: they are subdued and peaceful. The woman stands at a dividing line between daylight and night, the known and the unknown—but she is boldly heading into the night.
But let us go back to the beginning of the story. Karen Chang is a daughter of Chinese immigrants. She describes growing up very lonely, being told she was “too much” and “too wild.” (I can relate to that!)
So she got a doctorate in psychology and worked in tech until she realized that she was really out of touch with who she was. Color and beauty in glimpses had carried her through her early years, so she turned to painting to try to express that. The result is this moving series.
“Metamorphosis” has five chapters: “The Awakening,” “The Choosing,” “The Reclamation,” “The Integration,” (the theme to which “She Who Brings the Dawn” belongs) and “The Return.”
The number of images vary: “The Reclamation” has three, “The Integration” has two, “The Return” has two and “The Choosing,” and “The Return” have only one.
The emotional charge is strong. They are all women painted in vivid, highly saturated oranges, yellows, and magentas, but the main quality is assertiveness. One of the best is “The Choosing” with hair flying out behind as the woman charges forward on a horse, covered with red flowers and looking down on us disdainfully. Her former identity is a shadow behind her. Another strong image is “The Reclamation” with the woman astride a tiger. It really speaks of powerful control. Some of the works are a little too cliché as in “Unapologetic”: the woman sits under a cover, but is clearly available, and “The Return,” which seems a big jump from the others and a little too obvious.
But on the whole these works convey a strong motivation from the artist to accept change in our lives. She is offering that we can all think about our own metamorphosis, giving up the shell that has been forced on us and coming in touch with our own inner yearnings.
I feel sure that the artist will expand on the series in order to explore the challenges of metamorphosis which are many. Any one of these themes could be further expanded. But on the whole I congratulate her for taking on such a difficult subject and creating all of these works in only a few months. We do get a full message of positive hope as the series stands.
“Karen Chang: Metamorphosis” is on view at Gallery B612 through May 27, 2026.
