Alma Allen b. 1970, Heber City, USA; lives and works in Tepoztlán

Spanning a wide range of materials, including bronze, parota wood, various types of marble, obsidian, and stalagmite, Allen’s work retains a strikingly unique energy and original aesthetic. From sinuously thin bronze shapes to magmatic and smooth marble outpourings, Allen’s biomorphic forms seem to rise up effortlessly from the artist’s chosen material. Allen’s artistic trajectory has seen him progress from humble origins, selling hand-carved miniatures on the streets of Soho in New York City, to his breakthrough moment of recognition after his acclaimed presentation at the 2014 Whitney Biennial.

Reflecting a largely self-taught background, the spontaneity and energy of Allen’s work seem to bear little connection to the artistic movements of his time. In fact, they have more in common, formally and perhaps spiritually, with the vast expanses of territory and the monolithic natural formations that have punctuated his life: Utah, where he grew up; Joshua Tree, California, where he lived for several years; and Tepoztlán, Mexico (about fifty miles from Mexico City), where he currently has his studio. Rocks, branches, and unspecified biomorphic entities that exude a kind of prehistoric energy dominate his shows, their size and mass undermined by their apparent levity and effortless presence.

Alma Allen (b. 1970, Heber City, USA) lives in Tepoztlán.