36” x 36” x 1.5” Mixed Media on Canvas (2024). Price: $17,000 (plus shipping). Materials: Oil paint, PVC, sequins, sherpa fabric, embroidered velvet, thread, faux plants, velvet stuffed with organic cotton, flat back pearl, faux flowers, tulle, soft ribbon.

‘Being Human in a Business Setting’ is a study of authenticity, endurance, and existence. It was chosen to be exhibited in Venice Italy as part of the Personal Structures exhibition hosted by the European Cultural Centre in connection with the 60th Venice Biennale. It is part of the Women's Live Artist Studio's Chronicles of Venus collection.

The Alabama Shakes said it best; “I wake up, rise to the sun, I go to work, and I come back home.” I believe in my dreams, as delusional as they may seem. I read somewhere that you must be delusional to be an artist.

At 35, I still have the same dream for myself as I did when I was 17. Back then I was afraid to say I wanted to be an artist because of the belief that artists don’t make any money. What I wanted to be was a joke to everyone around me. So, I hid who I was, and I pursued the life of a stranger. Now, I wish to undo that. We are all actors but continuing to act when no one is looking is self-defeating.

As adults, we can sometimes get stuck in a pattern of just existing. The stagnancy I felt made me realize that I could only be myself when no one is looking, and that’s not how I want to live. I think the practice of authenticity takes time. For me, it starts at home with the mundane. Sometimes we need little things to help bring us out of the “grown up” energy that dampens our lives. I started being myself when I stopped caring about what others thought of my living space.

I wanted my home to be my sanctuary, free of judgement. I would be lying if I said I don’t hide certain things occasionally, when I know people are coming over. Maybe one day I won’t feel the need to do that. I’m just not there yet. But there is one room where I don’t dare to hide anything. My bathroom is the place where I can be naked in every sense of the word. This is where I see myself stripped of any mask or projection. This is where I choose to begin peeling back. In this painting I bring the most ordinary, monotonous, everyday perspective of my life to the viewer. I am standing in my bathroom in front of my shower, a view no one else is privy to but me, and something I experience nearly every day. This is a moment of my life I have taken control over. I share this view because, for me, it symbolizes authenticity and freedom to be my most expressive self. It’s a warm hug, a pat on the back, a goofy smile, and beyond visibility, there is perseverance.

Please send all inquiries to infojenniferwarrenart@gmail.com.