My heritage is influenced by spirit keepers; the bricklayers, fisherfolk, Baptist deacons, Buddhist monks, graffiti walls, planters, and transcendental mantras. I come from the American Midwest and Southeast Asia, places with distinct and contrasting views of the self. The convergence of these two worlds, each with its own traditions, values, and perspectives, inspire me to explore themes of cultural hybridity.
ABOUT
Alena Ahrens (1979) is a contemporary American-Asian artist working between the USA and Portugal. Her interdisciplinary practice expands painting and text beyond the retinal and pictorial, transforming color and language into an active, spatial experience. Through arcs, paintings, and performance, she creates participatory encounters that explore perception, presence, and the fluid boundaries of space and form.
Her dissertation research developed a methodology that examines the intersection of space, shape, time, affect, embodiment, and narrative through contemplative practices to foster connection and empathy. Building on this foundation, her current work engages with the traditions of color field painting, expanding upon its lineage through a socio-cultural lens. She also experiments with various modes of performance and writing to expand the material and temporal dimensions of embodiment and perceptual experience.
Alena has exhibited in solo and group shows at the Zhou B. Art Center (Chicago, IL), Tipi Project (Brooklyn, NY), MoMA PS1 (New York, NY), DAMU Theatre (Prague, CZ), and ARTROOM (Lisbon, PT). She has participated in international residencies at Château Orquevaux (Orquevaux, FR), Hangar Arts (Lisbon, PT), and GEDOK (Stuttgart, DE). Her color field paintings are part of the J.P. Morgan Chase Art Collection.
