Jalen Jackson - Artist Talk

Join Jalen Jackson and Creative Director Annah Lee as they discuss Jalen's residency exhibition Just In Case You Lose Your Shellon view at Artspace Oct 4 - Dec 1.

More about Artspace

Artspace is a non-profit visual arts center located in Downtown Raleigh. Visit Artspace to explore exhibitions featuring national and community artists, engage with more than 35 artists working in their studios, and enjoy art classes and community events for all ages and abilities. To learn more about Artspace, visit artspacenc.org

More about Jalen Jackson

Jalen Jackson, the Inaugural HBCU Artist in Residence at Artspace, is a visual artist whose paintings explore African American culture, collective memory, and experiences. His paintings depict flashbacks of his childhood and other memories, especially growing up as a son of a single mother. Jackson began college as a Business Management student at North Carolina A&T University. During his junior year, he signed up for a painting class and rediscovered his love for art he has fostered as an African American child growing up in Durham, NC. He received his BFA in Visual Arts from NC A&T State University in 2021 and has exhibited locally at 311 Art Gallery, Anchorlight Studios, Wake Tech, Barton College, The Fruit and Artspace.

Just In Case You Leave Your Shell Artist Statement

Life’s obstacles challenge me as an artist to bring awareness to the things we shouldn’t settle for as a society and as people of the African diaspora. As we walk the earth everyday we are subject to our morals being challenged. The decisions we make can resort to evil actions that may give us temporary pleasure but results in long term soul deprivation. We fight against being controlled by people with power, technology and the tainted ideologies of our forefathers and predecessors. Fear of embarrassment, abandonment, non-acceptance, failure and death prevents us from learning who we actually are. Do we reach our highest potential if we overcome our deepest fears? If we embraced the frightening high heart rate caused by a disturbing visual can we comprehend the divinity hidden within the acquaintance? My practice consists of the experiments that bring me closer to the answer for these questions. Finding myself is a fearful yet fruitful journey. My materials such as oil paint, charcoal, wood, metal and found materials allow me to create the blueprint for each experiment. - Jalen Jackson

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