THE COURTYARD

Spanning a wide range of materials including bronze, parota wood, various types of marble, obsidian and stalagmite, Alma Allen (1970, United-States) makes work that retains a singularly 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 street in Soho, NY, to his breakthrough moment of recognition after his acclaimed presentation at the Whitney Biennial of 2014. 

Largely self taught, there is a spontaneity and energy to Allen’s work that seems to bear little connection to the artistic movements of this time. In fact they have more in common, formally and perhaps spiritually, with the vast expanses of territory and the monolithic natural formations that seem to have punctuated his life: Utah, where he grew up; Joshua Tree, California, where he lived for several years; and Tepoztlán, Mexico, where he currently has his studio, about 50 miles out from Mexico City. 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. 

For my definition of happiness I need to refer to one of the greatest and most well respected (Stoic) emperors in Roman history: Marcus Aurelius (160-181 AD). According to Marcus Aurelius - and fully in line with Stoic philosophy - the happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. This profound Stoic principle inspired me throughout the years in order to boost the quality of my thinking and - thereby - the quality of my life.
- Brecht Seifi