Jess Ackerman Throws All of Their Interests Into Their Visual Art Practice

“Spine-tingling, hidden faces, lurking, the night gardener,” says WW’s Spring Arts Guide cover artist Jess Ackerman. “Solitude, voyeurism, medieval surrealism, meditation and cemeteries.”

It all may sound a bit macabre, but this is how Ackerman describes the inspiration behind their most recent series of paintings.

Inspirational morbidity aside, Ackerman’s work is more accessible than these terms may lead aficionados to believe. “I’m really influenced by music, actually,” Ackerman says. “The list could get overwhelmingly long, but I always come back to Jason Molina and Phil Elverum lyrically to set me straight, and Alice Coltrane, Don Cherry and Joseph Shabason to calm me down.”

The references are disparate but apparent. Ackerman’s work is bold, bright and arresting—and, at the same time, consolatory and reassuring. “At my core, I’m always going to be a fool,” they admit. “I think that might come from growing up loving Pee-wee and SpongeBob.”

And it’s precisely that perspective that makes Ackerman’s work so uniquely relatable as it unpacks themes of self-worth, self-image, and beauty as a commodity.

“Other things that always inspire me are thrift stores, vintage clothing, quilts, and estate sales,” Ackerman says. “Fashion design inspires me quite a lot, too—early Margiela, Bode, Simone Rocha, Vivienne Westwood and Comme des Garçons.”

How these influences coalesce is what makes Ackerman’s acrylic and goache paintings so commanding—a style that has evolved in numerous ways since forging their relationship with Stephanie Chefas of Chefas Projects. “I was such a huge fan of her and her programming, and I was lurking around online and at openings. Everyone Stephanie was showing, I admired so much,” Ackerman says. “Being a self-taught artist, I often battle with this feeling of not getting ‘it,’ like there is a secret language between galleries and artists and that whole world.”

“Even on our first studio visit, Stephanie made me feel so seen and supported,” Ackerman continues. “I don’t know how to explain it—‘challenge’ isn’t the right word—but the effect on my work feels like a new curiosity to question myself and my intention with each step. There is a calmness in that. I feel immense gratitude for our relationship.”

Ackerman’s second solo exhibit at Chefas Projects marks an interesting thematic maturation from start to finish. The works maintain Ackerman’s trademark whimsy, with strong lines and powerful pigment play at the fore, but also draw upon the more tender elements of self-examination and self-worth through a journey across light and dark. These elements are tempered by Ackerman’s pop influence but flourish through their psychedelic sensibility creating a body of work that is as much visual extravaganza as it is a journey of self discovery—a sophomore album of sorts, wherein the complexities of the art expand alongside the complexities of the artist.

It’s naturally changed so dramatically from when I started this series,” Ackerman describes. “It’s become much darker thematically than I originally intended, but I’m still drawn to many of the original visual elements and motifs. It’s become less about vanity itself and more about observation, the observer, and hidden intention or purpose.”

Influences emerge for Ackerman both internally and externally, with their worldview coming into sharp relief through their work. “The absurdity of our modern lives is so heartbreaking—at a point, it turns comical. I can’t help it,” Ackerman reflects. “It’s been a hard few years. I’ve been through a lot. I feel very privileged to be here in this way.”

Though an energy of ancient lore pervades their work, Ackerman is quick to reject the label of storyteller. “I’ve never thought of myself as a storyteller,” they admit. “Maybe more of a bit-part kind of guy. I love a quick vignette over a four-hour movie.”

But just as Ackerman’s work sets them apart from their contemporaries, the bit parts sometimes steal the show.

“There was a time when I could pump out endless work and grind like no one else—and it killed part of me,” Ackerman continues. “Now, I feel more present and connected to the practice, but there is a rawness to it as well. I can’t help but be curious about where else it’s going.”

SEE IT: Jess Ackerman at Chefas Projects, 134 SE Taylor St., Suite 203, 503-719-6945, chefasprojects.com. Opening reception 5 pm Friday, May 9. Through June 7.