Jess Allen « Theres A World Out There »
Composing pared-back interior scenes featuring tableaus of silhouettes and shadow, Jess Allen seeks to capture a moment in time without resorting to a conspicuous or distinct narrative. Natural light falls from above onto familiar domestic scenes, where closely cropped views of couches and stacks of books are overlaid with shadow figures – indeterminate and unnamed portraits that stand just out of view. By using the interplay of light and shade, the artist elevates her subjects to an archetype or allegory, to be understood by her audience using their personal experiences. Her true subject then is not any one person, but time itself, defined by the angle of the sun and the tilt of the earth’s axis. It is defined by omission, the length and distortion of shadows defining a particular instant which the artist has carefully and attentively recorded using her striking, muted style.
Jess Allen is currently building an international reputation with works in Collections in the US, Japan, Europe, Switzerland, China, Japan, Korea, Singapore, UAE, and Bahrain. She has also exhibited in the US, Sweden, and Japan, with forthcoming exhibitions in New York, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
She lives in Cornwall with her husband Sculptor Simon Allen.
Jess Allen, « There's A World Out There », from 1 to 31 March 2025
