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Jasper Wilde

Jasperwilde's picture
Neighborhood: Richmond
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Jasper Wilde is a trans nonbinary abstract artist who uses colors and layers to heal their psychic being by giving themselves the freedom to express gesturally. Taught to repress self expression as a child raised in an extreme Evangelical Christian family, their work is a rejection of emotional constraint. Their art manifests their true nature, which is the collective concept of what’s best for me is best for all of us.

Driven to suicidal ideation in 2020 due to a relationship betrayal, emotional abuse at work, and an ever-grimmer political climate, painting became the only way for Jasper to find solace as a means of coping with the overwhelming feelings of confusion and heartbreak they were buried in. The canvas became an emotional portal to bring pain, anger and loneliness where movement met pure Light Energy to transform Jasper into feeling love again.

Jasper’s work critiques the capitalist system by exploring the complexities of living as a working-class person limited individual freedom and creativity. Their powerful marks convey the sense of being trapped in a society where conformity is necessary for survival, and the bright colors represent the fake positivity one is expected to have at work despite being required to spend so much time there to simply not starve and avoid getting evicted. Jasper’s work is a meditation of their own struggles, but also a reflection on mutual personal experiences that affect us all.