The origins of Jeff Wallace’s work lay in personal experience: in 2012, as elderly relatives began showing signs of failing health and memory loss he was left to manage their personal effects. Gathering and organizing their correspondence, papers, photographs and books, he recognized how the various ephemera together formed a distinct, personal narrative, documenting a sequence of moments that collectively recount a lifetime.

In his work, Wallace explores the role of revision and palimpsest as it relates to memory – the continuous process through which stories overlap, become diluted or erased over time.

‘My paintings and installations are constructions that amplify the relationship between time and memory. I use materials – primarily paper – that may be familiar to a viewer, but are not immediately recognizable out of context. With this medium, I am interested in preserving the ‘what was’ and in elevating the ‘as is’ to represent what remains present in memory with the passing of time – the colors, light, shapes and patterns of what is encountered in daily life.’

Wallace’s work has been exhibited in numerous New York venues including DFN Projects with Craven Contemporary (2023); Cristin Tierney Gallery (2020/21); Rick Wester Fine Arts (2019); Main Window Dumbo (2019); Lichtundﬁre Gallery (2017-19); Spring Break at Moynihan Station (2016); and in Miami, Florida at the Swenson Gallery (2018). Wallace’s work and studio practice have been featured, both online and in print, including: The Coastal Post, Social Distancing/ Remote Visits; Art Circuit/Critic’s Choice by Anne Tschida (online); and WRPD Magazine, Proﬁle/In You I Measure Time (print).

In February of 2020, Wallace was invited to participate in the Visiting Artist & Scholars program at the American Academy in Rome. He was invited to VCCA (Virginia Center for the Creative Arts in 2022 and 2024; was a Fellow and two time resident at the Vermont Studio Center (2017, 2019); and a resident at Yaddo (2018).

In addition to his studio practice, Wallace is curator of Main Window, a community-focused art presentation space in Brooklyn and serves on the Board of Directors for Smack Mellon, a Dumbo art institution that presents the work of emerging and underrepresented artists.

For more information, please contact jeff@jeffwallacenyc.com.

Jeff Wallace | STUDIO
405 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231