ART

Jess (Jessika) Tarr creates paintings and drawings that are both playful and dark. Merging surreal narratives with figurative elements, her work is marked by fluid lines, a graphic aesthetic, and an illustrative seductiveness. Her pieces unfold like stories through a mix of fragmented portraiture, symbolism, and dream-related themes. 

BIO

Raised between California and Germany, Jess (°1988) launched her artistic career in Washington, DC where she moved to attend The Corcoran College or Art + Design and remained until 2014 after falling in love with opera singer, Jeffrey Tarr. They have spent the last two years living as nomads between Berlin and the USA with their baby, Brontë. 

CV

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Disfigure- Countdown Gallery, Maryland / January 2012
Monstrous- Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC / February 2011
Something Borrowed- First and Franklin, Baltimore / March 2011

SELECTED DUO/GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2016
Not Dead Yet- Zentralbuero, Berlin
Pressure- Spor Klübü, Berlin
SUNDAY Art Fair, London
2015
Disorder- Von der Sieben, Berlin
Upper//Downer- Anagra, Tokyo
Grab Bag- Trestle Projects, Brooklyn
Drawing Project - Galleri Swop, Stockholm
Pop Up Weekend- Urban Spree, Berlin
2014
Shifting Ecologies- The Painting Center, Chelsea, NYC
TAG- ARTDC, Washington DC
Identimorph, Catalyst Projects- Washington, DC
Brainwashed- Grand Central Art Center, Santa Ana
Common Sense- Affectorstudio, Sydney
Kings, Clowns, and Revolutionaries, with David Page- Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC
Live Drawing at American Cool opening, National Portrait Gallery- Washington, DC
2013
Dark- Spike Hill, Brooklyn
BAD- zine collaboration/release with Christopher Cunetto & Sarah Jamison
Drawing Perspectives- Marlboro Gallery, Maryland
Working it Out- Painting Center, Chelsea, NYC
Circus Pony curated by Susan Jamison- LIMIAL Alternative Artspace, Roanoke
2012
Tackle Performance in David Page sculpture- Delaware Art Museum
Companion- Gateway Art Center, Brentwood
The Mix­Up- Batista Fine Art, Washington, DC
Drawing Residency- 87 Florida, Washington, DC
International Arts & Artists Retrospective- Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC
Dream of Waking- Hole in the Sky, Washington, DC
2011
(e)merge Art Fair- Capitol Skyline Hotel, Washington, DC
Bruised Knees and ABC’s- Heart & Lungs, London
A Book About Death- Quetzalcoatl Gallery, Seattle
Out of Order- Maryland Art Place, Baltimore
Haus Stories curated by Sandra Dieckmann- Berlin
Fotoweek- Corcoran Museum, Washington, DC
2010
Senior Show- Corcoran Museum, Washington, DC
Senior Thesis Show- Gallery 31, Washington, DC
Corcoran Juried Exhibition- White Walls Gallery, Washington, DC
Maiolica Glaze Painting Portfolio- Casa Crayola, San Miguel, MX

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Fine Art with honors, Corcoran College of Art + Design / 2010
Finalist for Fulbright Scholarship in Art to Germany / 2012

Collections and Press available upon request