Kieren Jeane
Kieren Jeane in front of her painting, Your Pain in the Palm of my Hand
Kieren Jeane lives and Works in Baltimore, Maryland, and is a BFA candidate at Maryland Institute College of Art. She synthesizes the romantic narratives between two fictitious personas - the Moon Man and the Liar - which are representations of her own relationship. Her paintings play with the dualities of beauty, cruelty, tragedy, and romance through fairytale or fable-like narratives that convey the questions that she tackles in real life. Her work has been recently shown at Prince Street Gallery and published in Art Maze Magazine.
Can you tell us a bit about the process of making your work?
I often have these lightning-bolt moments of images in my head, probably derived from something buried deep in my mind; a line of a poem that stuck to me, something that my ex said to me, etc. I try to stop whatever I’m doing when the image pops up in my head and grab whatever is nearest to me, a pen and a paper, or my phone, and just quickly sketch the image so I don’t forget about it. I use those rough sketches to stimulate my memory and jump right into painting.
Your Pain in the Palm of my Hand combines a sweet sentiment with unsettling imagery. Would you tell us a bit about that contrast's role in your work?
Kieren Jeane, Your Pain in the Palm of my Hand, 2021, oil on canvas, 60 x 60 inches
Love is an endless inspiration to my work, and I think that it is very difficult to explain love without talking about the conflict of feelings. Visually, the usage of contrast helps me express that conflict. Like, affection can be overwhelming and empowering, disgusting and breathtaking, frustrating and touching, all at the same time. In my work, I aspire to find a visual metaphor that highlights the contrast between all these dissimilar emotions. In particular to Your Pain in the Palm of my Hand, I came up with a bouquet of disembodied horses as a visual metaphor.
What are some references you draw upon in your work? Are there any themes in particular that you like to focus on when creating?
(Kieren Jeane, I’ll Never Forget You As Long As I Live, 2021, oil on canvas, 18 x 14 inches
I take indirect references from literature, like Beauvoir and Sartre’s open relationship, Dante and Beatrice’s childhood, Annie Ernaux’s affairs, etc. I just love a good love story, and I like coming up with some of my own. I paint about love regardless of my reality, and I enjoy the fact that the romance I depict in my pictures can just be a big lie or a ridiculous dream. I focus on blending my real sentiments with my fantasies when I create.
Where are some of your favorite spaces that support contemporary art or design? Now that the art has an online presence has that changed?
I actually grew more and more fond of online art spaces throughout the pandemic. I was in Chelsea three times within the past two months and almost all galleries were fully closed to the public, which I was really sad about. It’s a great thing that good art is available on my phone 24/7. I love scrolling through Instagram art accounts like @cd_alice34, @mepaintsme, and @petershear.
Who are some of your favorite artists? Or who has been inspirational recently? Feel free to mention any artists from friends to blue chips or books about artists.
Kieren Jeane, You’ve Come A Long Way, 2021, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches
I’ve always loved Chagall. I adore his work. I have a magical and immediate connection to his way of storytelling. Also, reading about artists’ practices has been greatly inspiring to me in terms of work ethic. The most memorable books I’ve read are Tracey Emin’s Strangeland and Anne Truitt’s Daybook. Both books are living proofs of artistic mindfulness, which I think I am still trying to define and embody.
Do you have any shows coming up? Anything else you would like to share?
I don’t have a show scheduled at the moment, but I newly discovered an interest in ceramics and would love to share what I make in the future.
Kieren Jeane’s work is included in our show “Transcendental States” September 15th - October 15th, 2021. Visit her work at kierenjeane.com or on Instagram @kierenjeane