Alena Ahrens

Alena Ahrens’ work emphasizes the dialectical process of identity and ideas. Instead of seeing opposing viewpoints or even outright challenges as a hindrance to reaching truth, she recognizes that rebuttal, denial, conflict, and even destruction can collide and lead to expansive reinvention. Her lyrically abstract assemblages and prints reveal a choreographic character rooted in performance, allowing the traces of time, language, gesture, and color to inform the evolution of emotion and memory.

Alena Ahrens (b. 1979) is a contemporary American-Asian artist currently based in St. Louis, MO. She studied performance art at MoMA PS1 under Marina Abramović and completed her MFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago residency program. Her solo and group exhibitions include the Zhou B. Art Center (Chicago, IL), the Tipi Project (Brooklyn, NY), MoMA PS1 (New York, NY), the DAMU Theatre (Prague, Czech Republic), and the ARTROOM (Lisbon, Portugal). International residencies include Chateau Orquevaux (Orquevaux, France), Hangar Arts (Lisbon, Portugal), and GEDOK (Stuttgart, Germany). Her work is held in select private collections and the Museum of Encaustic Art (Santa Fe, NM).


Artist Statement

I find there is beauty inherent in endless transitions and changes. Moments that appear to be fleeting are often the most profound. I try to capture this by juxtaposing the textures and opacity of the materials I use in this series so that the viewer explores and develops their own meanings and perspectives.


https://alenaahrens.com/