BIOGRAPHY

Known for her highly expressive and fantastical paintings, Christina Allan is fueled by the individual and collective anxieties that surround the human condition, most notably the classic existential struggle.

Born in Toronto, Canada in 1995, Allan received a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in painting fromParsons the New School for Design and was awarded the institution’s Dean’s BFAScholarship. Upon graduating in 2017, she remained in New York City for five years, working in the art and design industry while maintaining her artistic practice.

From dramatic mythical scenes to deeply introspective psychological portraits, Allan’s canvases populate a world of creatures and include overt references to fantasy, from angels and deities to Pegasi, spirits, and the Grim Reaper. A blend of abstraction and figuration, her fictional existential narratives take place in a sublime natural realm that is dreamy yet real, mirroring how existence can at times feel like a rigged game or fleeting dream.  

Bold and colorful,Allan’s paintings are executed using a multitude of materials including acrylic and oil paint, spray paint, oil stick, and more. Her process begins with sketching characters and scenes that are brought to life on canvas. She works in a continuous cycle of mark-making that eventually forms vibrant, multi-layered outcomes.

Central to Allan’s practice is her exploration of philosophy and mythology. She is often informed by existentialist ideas of authors including Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus, and the mythology of ancient civilizations. She views myths as a representation of a complex and unchanged human experience, and the expression of universal concerns and passions like death, fear, grief, love, and violence. Her work has interpreted ancient Greek legends and figures including Sisyphus, Icarus, Narcissus, among others. Similar to how ancient mythological Gods and God deserved as answers to the mysteries of a meaningless world and universe, Allan’s work presents an in-between space and state – an escape from an absurd quotidian existence. She is interested in authentic emotions, experiences, and philosophical struggles that we experience as humans, including the inability as a finite being to comprehend the infinite (the universe).

 She lives and works inToronto, Canada.

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CV

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Christina Allan

(b. 1995)

Lives and works in Toronto, ON. Canada.

Education:

Parsons The New School for Design.B.F.A., Painting, 2017. New York, NY.

Group Exhibition History:

2018 - Greenpoint Gallery, “WinterExhibition,” Brooklyn, NY. USA.

2017 - Parsons the New School forDesign, "Parsons BFA Thesis Exhibition,” New York, NY. USA.

2017 - Anna-Maria and Stephen KellenGallery, Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, “AMT Exhibition,” New York, NY. USA.

2017 - The NRM Gallery, "Wall ArtGroup Exhibition,” New York, NY. USA.

2017 - Parsons the New School forDesign, “Parsons Open Studios,”New York, NY. USA.

2016 - Parsons the New School forDesign, “Parsons Open Studios,”New York, NY. USA.

2016 - 25 East Gallery, “The Day AfterTomorrow," New York, NY. USA

2016 - Parsons the New School forDesign, “Performance and Media Group Exhibition,” New York, NY. USA

2015 - Ontario College of Art andDesign University, “OCAD Photography Exhibition,” Toronto, ON. Canada.

2013 - Parsons The New School forDesign, “Time,” Parsons The New School for Design. New York, NY. USA.

Publications:
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2021 - “ArtistTalk with Christina Allan.” Art of Tomorrow. December 20, 2021.

Awards:

2013-2017 - Dean’s B.F.A. Scholarship- Parsons the New School for Design, New York, NY. USA.

Collections:

Works held in private collections inCanada and the United States.

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