Jalena Hay’s practice centers on abstract drawing as a means of exploring lived experience and the ways perception is felt internally before it is named. Her works are built through layered surfaces that function like palimpsests, where each mark remains visible even as new ones accumulate. Nothing is fully erased; instead, the drawings hold their own history, allowing multiple temporal moments to coexist within a single field. Working without a predetermined plan, Hay allows each piece to unfold through embodied presence. Every gesture responds intuitively to the one before it, guided by repetition, pressure, and duration. Through this process, drawing becomes a form of thinking through the hand. The resulting compositions flicker between control and instability, reflecting memory as nonlinear and constantly shifting.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Hay developed a heightened awareness of impermanence and the fragility of the body. This experience continues to inform her sensitivity to time, resilience, and the traces we leave behind. Her work invites viewers to slow down and engage with the layered surface, discovering how memory, presence, and transformation quietly coexist.
Jalena Hay
Jalena’s practice is all about taking control of the chaos. Her work layers Pen, Ink, Gouache, Pastel and Colored Pencil to create intricate compositions that don’t just ask for your attention—they demand it. These compositions evoke a tension between abstraction and emotion, where every mark becomes part of a larger exploration of themes such as impermanence, resilience, and interconnectedness. Jalena Hay was born and raised in Southern California before moving to New York City to study Drawing and Printmaking at Pratt Institute. During her time at Pratt, she studied under the mentorship of renowned artists such as Thomas Bosket and Jennifer Melby. Her passion for printmaking took her to Amsterdam, where she dove deep into lithography, pushing the boundaries of line, texture and form. Exhibiting throughout New York, Jalena continues to refine her work. She lives and works in Brooklyn, constantly evolving her approach as she explores how personal and universal themes intersect in her work. Her work has been exhibited in galleries across New York, including Dodomu, Long Island City Artists, and ENGN, and has been featured in publications such as Suboart Magazine and Canvas Rebel. She will be attending the Vermont Studio Center Residency in 2025.
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