Jen Stark
Drippy & Wormhole, 2013
Mural & Sculpture

Jen Stark’s art is driven by her interest in conceptualizing visual systems to simulate plant growth, evolution, infinity, fractals, mimetic topographies, and sacred geometries. Using available materials—paper, wood, metal, paint—Stark strives to make work that balances on a razor’s edge of optical seduction and perceptual engagement. In recent years, Stark has introduced new technologies into her diverse practice, delving into the digital realm of interactive projections and distinctive NFTs.

The resulting works often resemble organic, molecular, cloud-like structures, and are imbued with kinetic, undulating effects that serve to dislocate the viewer from staid reality into an immersive ecosphere of echoing patterns and the implausible designs found in nature. Even her vivid colors are in direct conversation with the natural world; the attractant/repellent properties of flowers encouraging pollination or insects warning birds of their poisonous traits, and the luminous mystery of phosphorescent sea creatures are among Stark’s concerns.

Via these corporeal abstractions, spectators are led onto the astral plane; there’s a transcendence to Stark’s work where the vibrational phases become a sacrosanct and curative experience for the viewer. Traces of mandalas or nautili reveal themselves as sacred geometric forms in Stark’s spiritual reservoir.

Stark was born in Miami, Florida in 1983, and studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art, graduating in 2005. Since then, Stark has realized exhibitions globally, with major shows in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Thailand, and Canada. Recently included as one of Fortune’s “NFTy 50,” Stark made history as the first female artist to make Foundation’s top 10 highest selling NFT creatives. Stark lives and works in Los Angeles.

Select public collections include: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., Miami International Airport, Miami, FL, Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, FL, Museum of Art Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, The West Collection, Oaks, PA, The Christy & Bill Gautreaux Collection, Kansas City, MO, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, Microsoft Art Collection, Redmond, WA, , The Girls Club Collection, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, The Sagamore Collection, Miami Beach, FL, Debra and Jeff Wechsler Collection, Miami, FL, Soho House Miami Collection, Miami Beach, FL.

Commissioned by Fashion Outlets of Chicago
Curated by Primary.
Chicago, IL, 2013