Karen Ghostlaw

Karen Ghostlaw is a visual storyteller and multifaceted artist who uses photography to explore movement, identity, and space through her study of “the archaeology of reflections.” A graduate of Pratt Institute, she was mentored to see photography as a medium for both visual storytelling and conceptual expression. She is the Co-Founder of Pictorial Foundation and Editorial Director of The Pictorial List Magazine, an international platform fostering collaboration and dialogue among contemporary artists. A signature member of NAWA, she actively supports women in the arts nationally and globally. Alongside her philanthropic work, Karen is an internationally awarded exhibiting artist, continually pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling.

Multiplicity In Motion originates from a 1981 double exposure analog negative, part of her Photo 101 series. At the time, Karen considered the photograph a mistake—an unintentional double exposure caused by improperly loading the film, causing the film to not fully engage and advance on the first frame. Embarrassed by what she imagined others would see as a technical failure, she tucked the negative away, hidden in her archive for more than forty years.

Decades later, while revisiting the roots of her photographic practice, Karen rediscovered the image. What once symbolized error revealed itself as a striking metaphor for her current explorations through her study of “the archaeology of reflections.” She realized there are no mistakes, only opportunities waiting to be reimagined—an idea that resonates deeply in her work speaking to women, their experiences, and the nuances of identity.
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Breathing fresh life into the once-forgotten negative, Karen transformed it into Multiplicity In Motion, a contemporary six-panel, multi-layered photographic installation that shifts into a holographic dimensionality, producing lyrical movement between feminine figures. The work celebrates women’s resilience, transformation, and the enduring beauty of identity, turning an overlooked accident into an internationally exhibited, award-winning artwork now featured at the Women in Art Biennale London 2025.