Jessalyn Mailoa
Bio
Jessalyn Mailoa was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Glass and Graphic Design, and studied psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Afterwards, Mailoa moved to Norfolk, Virginia, to join a studio assistantship program at the Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio. Currently, she is a studio assistant at the Belger Glass Annex in Kansas City.
artist Statement
My body of work is informed by the push and pull between my identity and my interactions with other people and the environment. Through objects and performances, I invite the viewer to enter spaces that discuss vulnerable narratives about human connection, mental health, and my cultural background. I like to use glass as my main material because I am interested in its parallels to human nature. Much like people, glass is fragile yet resilient, moldable yet rigid, familiar yet unpredictable. This particular piece is an expression of the phrase “I miss you”. It conveys the complexity and fragility of human emotions that lie behind this simple and common phrase.