​This is more than expression or a way of being—my work gives form to my thoughts, wrapping them around my inner experiences to create a reflection of connection. By portraying overlooked spaces, portraiture, and abstraction, I express shared individuality. Disrupted spaces are revitalized with unrestrained marks in confrontational perspectives. Portraiture surfaces the depths of self. Abstraction is my underlying motive, challenging the possibilities within intuition and subconscious. This approach involves layering in painting or printmaking, where I use reclaimed city debris as implements to apply media. The alternative tools I use are chosen based on the piece's theme, ensuring the work resonates with the viewer, evoking shared memories and emotional connections through space recollection and experiences. Each piece captures a moment tied to a place in time, person, or emotion, integrating techniques from various works into a cohesive whole
Jaylene Cabrera is a first-generation Cuban-American artist, born in Fort Lauderdale, FL, in 2001. Her practice uses oils for abstraction to interconnect identity through portraiture and emotions in overlooked spaces. She is set to receive her BFA in painting, printmaking, and drawing from the University of North Florida in Fall 2024. This Fall, Cabrera will intern at the Museum of Science and History and Art with a Heart in Healthcare at Wolfson’s Children’s Hospital. She will serve as the Jax Newsletter/Web Chair of the AIGA Jacksonville board, intern for creative placemaking with the Phoenix Arts & Innovation District, and continue her role as an Osprey Community Ambassador.
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Her work has been exhibited at various venues in Jacksonville, FL, including the University of North Florida, Florida Southern College of Jacksonville, FemArt Gallery, Bespoke House, and Share Art Gallery. She also holds a permanent collection at Open Doors Curation in Denver, CO. Additionally, her work has been published in Grain of Salt Magazine, Here’s To You Zine, Rosezella and the Visions, Chinchilla Lit, Moye Zine, Filthy Glo, Pile Press, Ouch! Collective, Wellness Zine: Growth, Early Chirp, Z.Magazine, Polemical Zine/Issue 19: Blue, KVM Publications: A Bunch of Malvaceae, Chill Magazine/Issue 1: The Green Issue, and Folklore Zine: Issue #3.
Jaylene Cabrera lives and works in Jacksonville, Florida.