Bio

“I am interested in the presence of light in art, people and the universe. Light is the constant in the transaction between energy and matter, ideas and substance.”

 Allison Harrell is committed to unifying, inclusive theories that can empower understanding and positive outcomes. A love of scientific principles coupled with a curious, intuitive nature drove her to art. She uses hands-on experimentation to demonstrate energy and its implications for consciousness and impact. Her artwork draws from personal growth experiences, theoretical discoveries, and current affairs. She merges traditional and new art media with optics instruments, original soundscapes, and image capture. Her practice relies on multidisciplinary research and meditative visualization. 

Harrell (b. 1983, Knoxville, TN) lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, and East Hampton, NY. She received her BA in Art from Maryville College (Maryville, TN), followed by an MFA in Photography from the Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA). Harrell's New York art career debuted with a solo exhibition at Ward Nasse Gallery in SoHo followed by a solo exhibition at Outstanding Art in Durham, England. Her work has also been included in exhibitions at notable institutions such as Sotheby's New York and Photo Independent in Paris. In 2021 and 2022, the Pinacothèque awarded Harrell a Certificate of Achievement for the Luxembourg Prize.  In 2022, she has been awarded Honorable Mentions in Self Portraiture, Single and Series categories for the 18th Julia Margaret Cameron Award, participant in 2022 State of the ART(ist) in the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, Austria. Highlights developing in 2023 include an artist feature in Create! Magazine Issue 37 and works exhibited at Context during Miami Art Week.

She is the co-founder of Gather, a foundation for the arts and community outreach in Brooklyn, NY. See https://gather.gallery/