Mary Shoen

Mary Shoen is a performance artist who creates art as a somatic transmission. Shoen’s work navigates the intersection of the visible with the invisible by amplifying tension in the body, throughout space. Through the transfiguration of the human form, Shoen portrays violence and trauma as visceral experiences. By using primal elemental materials to confront the grotesque and the sublime, Shoen moves into spaces of transformation and intimacy.

Born and raised in the high desert of Reno, Nevada, Shoen grew up as the fourth child in a lineup of seven. Her education in dance, theater, and music, acted as a catalyst for the development of inner awareness surrounding her psyche as she got older. Because of early onset mental illness, Shoen slowly departed from traditional studies in the performance arts and began to experiment with express art strategies and interventions to navigate her changing inner worlds. Shoen moved to New York at 17 and began this exploration, studying both within traditional institutions such as Bard College and the New School for Music, however, a final spiral pulled Shoen away from the city and brought her to Boulder Colorado where she finished her Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts at Naropa University. Shoen now works as an artist in The Boulder/Denver area.

Cosmic Orphan I

Photography

22 x 12 inches

2021

Cosmic Orphan II

Photograph

41 x 54 inches

2023

The silent scream of the body, the silent scream of the mind

Photograph

32 x 18 inches

2022