ABOUT

These small, acrylic paintings ultimately connect to the public through what Jessica Simorte sees as one of many universal cultural connections, the pull of place that operates on all of us. This work is an ongoing examination of personal spaces as declarations of value. Through painting she is able to create environments that engage in a manner that is suggestive but not specific - these works are meditations on the infinite power of physical and psychological space.

Abstraction is the framework in which Simorte investigates ideas of place dependence and the psychological need to belong somewhere; approaching abstraction as an allegorical language is ideal for connecting the nonconcrete value of belonging within space. She intends for the work to have a transparency regarding its prioritization of formal investigation and process, and strive for the outcome to be indicative of an environment that is intangible and peculiar. The works maintain a belief in abstraction’s ability to function both on a self referential level and exist as cultural objects that are discursively relevant, socially engaged, and mindful of a viewer’s emotional and intellectual experiences

Jessica Simorte completed her MFA with an emphasis in painting at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning in 2014. She is currently living in Texas where she coordinates Sam Houston State's University's WASH Program and teaches within their new MFA Program. She has shown regionally, nationally, and internationally and has been included in numerous publications including multiple issues of New American Paintings, Art Maze Mag, and Maake Magazine. Most recently, she was named a “noteworthy artist” in New American Paintings issue #162. Significant exhibitions include solos at Gallery Urbane in Dallas and Virginia Commonwealth University, as well as inclusion in shows at Big Medium in Austin, CICA Museum in Gimpo, South Korea, and Trotter & Sholer in NYC.