BEYOND THE BODY
JANUARY 2025
Jess Valice doesn't shy away from the shadows. The Los Angeles-based artist confronts the chaos of love, loss, and the raw complexities of womanhood, capturing it all with fearless, unapologetic honesty. A testament to the power of art daring to explore the deepest wounds and hidden desires that shape us all.
Jess Valice photographed in her studio by RJ Shaughnessy.
Did you always know you were going to be an artist?
Not at all. I was really drawn to psychology and even studied neuroscience for a while. I remember taking a physiology course in school and becoming fascinated by how the body’s functions shape our experiences and influence our lives.
So, you started your career being a neuroscience student?
Yes, I did, but I was a mediocre one [laughs]. Neuroscience was fascinating for a while, but deep down, I always knew art was my calling, even if my parents didn’t fully support it.
How did you make such a big career shift?
It wasn’t easy, and my parents were really scared. For me, art is where I can truly be myself, something I couldn’t do in daily life due to my struggles with trusting my intuition. That’s what pushed me to choose art over everything else.
There must have been a lot of pressure on you…
Definitely. I was working late nights at restaurants just to pay for my art studio rent, so the financial pressure was real. But at the same time, it pushed me to make it as an artist.
It sounds like you were on top of the world!I felt safe, supported and comfortable, with love by my side. But then 2021 came around… and my world fell apart as I began experiencing deep loneliness while in a partnership and then my dad passed away.
It must have been very difficult to navigate…
Extremely. Grief and loneliness are painful and that absolutely transformed my work.
'Arrhythmia', 2022, courtesy of the artist.
In which way did it affect your work?
It got so much darker. I began slowing down, becoming more intentional with what I wanted to express. The work became my only way of understanding myself, so it naturally reflected that journey.
Can you walk us through a theme that often appears in your paintings?
A lot of my work explores the unsettling feeling when your intuition turns out to be wrong. It’s this feeling of making a decision you thought was right, only to realize it was the worst choice you could’ve made.
Was this about your previous relationship?
Partly, but not just that. I had a show called “Arrhythmia”, which is when your heart beats out of rhythm. It was a way to talk about the pain and confusion that comes with not knowing whether to trust your feelings. It’s about the ups and downs of the heart.
The woman in the painting “Arrhythmia” is you, right?
Yes, it is. It’s about exploring vulnerability and defiance, which I also touched on in the painting "Hide Out" from my show “Mara”. In both works, I wanted to capture that tension between strength and fragility.
In which way does it come through your paintings?
In "Arrhythmia," I depict myself as a thin, pale woman with droopy eyes, hinting at something deeply wrong, yet strangely confident in her nudity and sexual presence. Similarly, in "Hide Out," I retreat into nature, but with defiance. The exposed breast, lifted like an erection, symbolizes tension and strength within vulnerability.
'Scream Pillow', 2022, courtesy of the artist.
Can you tell us more about this exhibition?
In this show there was also a painting named “Scream Pillow”. It comes from the idea of someone screaming into pillows to release their anger. Also, this man is pointing at himself, as if asking, "Is it my fault? Why is this happening to me?". He’s grappling with the idea that maybe he’s the problem.
Is this man someone you know?
Actually, a lot of the men in my paintings are based on me. In some cases, I’m just compelled to express myself in a painting as a man. I’ve struggled with feeling disconnected from my femininity, especially when I was younger and dealing with anorexia. Being a feminine person but not feeling feminine was tough.
Is there another piece where the man in the painting is based on you?
The piece "Kuba" portrays a friend of mine, used as a stand-in to express certain feelings... Sorry, Kuba [laughs]. This painting explores both grief and lust, questioning: does your desire align with what you truly need?"
Do you often paint your friends?
I only recently started painting my high school friends, who are all in different creative fields. It felt like a way to both confront and celebrate the past. For me, it's about bringing the people in my life into my work and turning darker emotions into something beautiful.
This duality is such a fascinating subject to explore
I’m drawn to it because I live it. I’m very positive and outgoing, but art helps me process deeper emotions I don’t always talk about. Like Caravaggio, who’s one of my favorite painters, it’s about finding light in the shadows, capturing what’s hidden beneath the surface.
What upcoming projects are you working on?
I’m currently preparing for my upcoming solo show at Almine Rech Gallery in Paris, scheduled for JUNE 2025!
'Kuba', 2024, courtesy of the artist.
Text by Lisa Boudet