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 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.
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 Residency Unlimited (NY), Château Orquevaux (Orquevaux, FR), and Hangar Arts (Lisbon, PT). Her color field paintings are in the J.P. Morgan Chase Art Collection.
