About Jes Allen
Jes Allen (b. 1979, NYC) is an American multidisciplinary artist and curator. Based in Louisville, KY, she was born in NY and spent her formative years primarily in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She is primarily a mixed media artist that incorporates collage, 3d art, sculpture, and wearable art into her practice. She has had a lifetime of immersion from professional artists in her family and guidance from Dr. Robert Douglas while pursuing her undergraduate degree.
In Allen’s current work, she relies on visual pareidolia, or the innate human tendency to assign meaning to random patterns or perceived disorder, in her mixed media paintings. She likes to play with controlled chaos and uses vibrant colors. In letting the “paint speak” to her, she searches for the faces and figures embedded in the commotion.
Allen explores Black womanhood, cultural identity, injustice, personal meaning, and transformation in her work.
Allen has a BA in Pan-African Studies from the University of Louisville. She received the Nancy Pollack Award. Her work is in private collections throughout the region and in Brooklyn, Detroit, and Philadelphia and in the collection of The Center for African American Heritage in Louisville, KY.
She is influenced by Kara Walker, Mickalene Thomas, Kihende Wiley, Kerry James Marshall, Alphonse Mucha, Romare Bearden, and Robert Douglas amongst others.
Notable acquistion include The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage Group exhibitions. Selected group shows: Mothering Me at The Carnegie Center for Art & History in New Albany, Indiana; KMAC Material Obsession; Girl Crush and Murderous Millinery at ArtPortal in Louisville, KY. She participated in Echos of Endings at Aurora Gallery and Boobies and Bootays at Boutique Bad Cat Boutique. Allen also has participated in various shows at Chestnuts and Pearls Gallery and Boutique in New Albany, IN and Tim Faulkner Gallery, Louisville, KY, Celebrating Black Excellence with The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage.
Allen has pieces on display at Luigi’s Pizzeria in Louisville, KY. Besides local and regional private collections, Allen has pieces in personal collections in Detroit, NYC, and North Carolina.
She graduated from the University of Louisville with a BA Pan-African Studies, receiving the Nancy Pollack Award in Pan-African Studies in 2015.
Artistic Focus
Pareidolia
Jes specializes in pareidolia art, finding faces and figures in unexpected places—from weathered walls to cloud formations. Her work transforms ordinary scenes into whimsical narratives.
Wearable Art
Jes extends her mixed-media approach into the realm of adornment, creating unique wearable art pieces. These works, like her gallery pieces, are bold and expressive, transforming the body into a canvas for her vibrant artistic vision.
Art Jewelry
Her foray into jewelry-making reflects her broader artistic principles, resulting in distinctive, conversation-starting pieces. Each item is a small-scale sculpture, infused with the same intention and exploration of identity found throughout her body of work
3D Art
Moving beyond the two-dimensional plane, Jes creates 3D art and sculptures that physically build upon her thematic interests. These works add texture and form to her explorations, offering a tangible, multi-dimensional experience of her controlled chaos and vibrant storytelling.
Upcoming Events
Stay updated on Jes’s latest exhibitions, pop-up shops, and creative workshops.
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