Karen Margolis merges science with metaphysics, condensing and unifying imagery to a singular essence, the circle. Connecting the microscopic to the universe, the circle represents a molecule, a neurotransmitter and the Enso, a sacred symbol of Zen Buddhism, embodying perfection and infinity. Attracted to the circle’s mystical iconography as well as its paradox of imperfection, Margolis reinterprets the circle in both positive and negative space, as a shared language uniting physical to psyche.

Residing in New York City, Margolis' work is exhibited internationally. She has upcoming exhibitions at K. Imperial Fine Art in San Francisco and Foley Gallery, New York City. Margolis recently completed a public art project for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York City. Margolis' work has been exhibited in the Paper Biennial at the Rijswijk Museum in the Netherlands, Salon Zurcher, Paris, France and in collaboration with M Missoni, New York City, through Garis & Hahn Gallery. Currently her work is included in the "Cut up/Cut out" exhibition, traveling to museums throughout the country from 2016 to 2020. Prior exhibitions include Rockland Center for the Arts, The Hunterdon Art Museum, The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, The Parrish Art Museum and the Fine Arts Center of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and Weatherspoon Art Museum. Previous solo exhibitions include Garis and Hahn in Los Angeles, Bridgewater University in Massachusettes, Muriel Guepin and Dieu Donne in New York City and The Delaware Center for Contemporary Art.

Margolis received a Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in 1998 and in 2000 designed a critically acclaimed set design for an Off-Broadway play. That same year she received a workspace residency at Dieu Donne Papermill. She was instrumental in creating the Dr. Seuss exhibit at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. In 2004 she conceived and implemented a program to teach art to blind and visually impaired teenagers at The Lighthouse International. In 2015 she worked as a consultant for Art Beyond Sight, coordinating with the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, Margolis organized and implemented special events for the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.