Jessie Marie Beals

Lives and works in New Orleans, LA, USA

Artist statement

My artistic practice allows me to experiment with concepts gained through research in philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, cultural critique and meditation on how visual information, human cognition and the concept of reality intersect. In my creative process I employ various techniques to guide the subject matter and composition of my images this includes distorting how I take in visual information and expanding my own cognitive processes through mindful observation, and somatic awareness. I am committed to presenting the moment of image capture as an artifact of my practice, implementing minimal manipulation after the shutter clicks—whether through traditional darkroom techniques or digital production—to preserve the authenticity of the image. The conceptual nature of my work comes full circle when my images are viewed, it is only then that they can serve as a means to stimulate diverse brain activity which can lead to higher‑order meaning‑making, and the broadening of approaches to constructing reality.

Artwork