Jessica Alazraki

BIO

Jessica Alazraki was born and raised in Mexico City, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Universidad Anáhuac. Since 1998, she’s been based in New York City. She also holds a diploma in graphic design from Parsons School of Design and a certificate in drawing and painting from the New York Academy of Art. Jessica has exhibited her work in four solo exhibitions in the United States and in over 50 group exhibitions in both Mexico and the United States. In 2018, she received the Award of Excellence from the Huntington Arts Council and an Honorable Mention Award from the Barrett Art Center. In 2019, she participated in the ARTWorks Fellowship at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) and was selected into the Creative Capital NYC “El Taller” in collaboration with the Hemispheric Institute. In 2020, Jessica completed the Trestle Art Space Residency Program, was awarded the New Work Grant by the Queens Art Fund, and won the Diane Etienne Founders Award from the Stamford Art Association. In 2021, she was shortlisted for the Hopper Price Award and was a finalist for the Alexander Rutsch Award. More recently, Jessica was named the 2021 MvVo AdArt Show winner and The Jackson Painting Prize Emerging Artist Award 2021. Her work is featured in several publications including New American Paintings, No. 152, Northeast Issue.

ARTIST STATEMENT

As a Mexican woman living in New York City, I feel it is my responsibility to open up a dialogue about immigrants. My work intends to bring Latinx life into contemporary art by celebrating the culture and highlighting family values. The narrative shows interior domestic scenes surrounding tables.

Bright colors and decorative patterns are very characteristic of my works; in my oil paintings, portraits are always in the foreground and close to the viewer. Intense brushwork provides unique character combined with flat backgrounds to highlight emotion.

Interview with Jessica Alazraki

Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you became interested in becoming an artist? Who or what were some of your most important early influences?

I knew I wanted to become an artist when I took my first drawing class. That was after I had my daughter and I quit my job in advertising. Much older than most artist.

I guess my early influences where Mexican painters like Diego Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros, Rufino Tamayo, Frida Kahlo and Maria Izquierdo.


Where are you currently based and what initially attracted you to working in this place? Are there any aspects of this specific location or community that have inspired aspects of your work?

I love living in NYC is very inspiring. I love the energy, the diversity, and the freedom.

NY is fascinating; I wouldn’t want ever to move. There is a lot of art, many artists, and many possibilities. It’s home for sure.


Can you describe your studio space? What are some of the most crucial aspects of a studio that make it functional? Do any of these specific aspects directly affect your work?

My life changed when I started painting from home. My studio next to my house made me a million times more productive and more flexible with my time. I love not having to get to a studio and being able to work after hours. I also love the fact that I can be working and be next to my kids simultaneously.

What is a typical day like? If you don't have a typical day, what is an ideal day?

I enjoy being in my studio and being with my kids and my dog. I like feeling very productive and efficient; I enjoy painting many hours in a row. I also like being able to exercise in the morning.


What gets you in a creative mindset?

I am always in a creative mindset. I start the second I turn on the music.

I procrastinate more when the painting is not yet working. There is a stage in the process that takes a little more from you. Other times the picture flows nicely, and it’s very engaging.


What criteria do you follow for selecting materials? How long have you worked with this particular media or method?

I have always painted with oil paint. I took many drawing classes, but I never enjoyed dry media. I also don't sketch; I go straight to paint.

As far as the surface goes, I am easygoing. I don't mind it if I can use oil paint, and I don't need to have it perfectly smooth either. I like to have a little texture or tooth, but the stretched canvas is my choice for practical reasons. I love painting on top of another painting that I feel like destroying. It usually turns out great.


Can you walk us through your overall process? How long has this approach been a part of your practice?

I have always used oil paint and always will. I don’t require changing that, since I love painting with oil and I love the color. I’m not too fond of dry media or drawing, never have, and never had used sketching like other artists tend to do. I love the first strokes and the excitement of a white canvas with the freedom of not knowing what I will paint. That’s so exciting to me. I’m not a planner in general. I also love wet into wet, and I am very direct with my strokes.


Can you talk about some of the ongoing interests, imagery, and concepts that have informed your process and body of work overtime? How do you anticipate your work progressing in the future?

I want to make every painting better than the one before. I want to be more intentional with my strokes and be bolder and rawer, embrace the mess and the distortion more.

Do you pursue any collaborations, projects, or careers in addition to your studio practice? If so, can you tell us more about those projects, and are there connections between your studio practice and these endeavors?

I met some Latinx artists at a Professional Development Course, “El Taller” from Creative Capital and we have a collective, The New Latinx Art Collective. We have monthly meetings and explore opportunities as a group. It’s nice to stay connected to other artists from Latin American descent. I did teach drawing to kids at some point, but I don’t do that anymore. I spend 100 percent of my time at the studio or with my kids. Parenting is my priority, but I do paint daily. I think I’m a little addicted to painting.

As a result of the pandemic, many artists have experienced limited access to their studios or loss of exhibitions, income, or other opportunities. Has your way of working (or not working) shifted significantly during this time? Are there unexpected insights or challenges you’ve experienced?

Professionally speaking, it hasn’t been bad at all. I didn’t have access to my studio, but I painted from home. I am divorced, so I painted on the dining/living room for more than a year, and I felt highly productive. I did have my kids around, but they were excellent and helped me with their casual crits. Since then, I decided there is no other way; I need to have my studio at home. It’s a life-changing experience.


Can you share some of your recent influences? Are there specific works—from visual art, literature, film, or music—that are important to you?

I love music when I paint. It’s essential to have that as part of the process, but I don’t think that directly influences it. The same with movies, it’s my passion, but I don’t think there is a direct influence besides the need for storytelling in a way.

I do follow many contemporary artists on Instagram, and I do believe that access to viewing different paintings all the time stays in your brain somehow. Contemporary artist mostly African American portraits.


Who are some contemporary artists you’re excited about? What are the best exhibitions you’ve seen in recent memory and why do they stand out?

Art Basel in Miami had amazing work. All the booths had work that had an excellent level of quality very high standard. Other Art Fairs in Miami had great work too but a bit more uneven.

I was fortunate enough to be included in a group exhibition at Marianne Boesky Gallery called “Winner Takes All” curated by Larri Ossei-Mensah and Amoako Boafo and all the other artists were great too.

Do you have any tips or advice that someone has shared with you that you have found particularly helpful?

Not really, I did go to an artist lecture by Kehinde Wiley, and Amy Sherald and he said that the meet is more important than the table referring to the painting itself and that stayed in my mind in a literal way because I paint people and table pattern. So, the figures should drive the painting not the decorative pattern.


What are you working on in the studio right now? What’s coming up next for you?

My goal is to paint in large format and sell all my paintings. I will continue painting Latinx families, I don’t think that will change at all. I will continue trying different things in every painting and every painting must be better than the one before. I am trying a different pallet and I am using more impasto in some areas and make every brush count. Just be more intentional with my strokes, build more texture and make everything feel more intentional.

To find out more about Jessica Alazraki check out her Instagram and website.