Alena Ahrens is an Asian American artist whose practice investigates the visual field through painting, folded paper, and sculptural forms. Through color, spatial interval, material restraint, and subtle shifts in orientation and form, she explores how minimal changes can alter perception and material presence. Her work considers the relationship between attention, structure, and the experience of space.

Ahrens holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a PhD in the social sciences.

During her residency at AiR 351, Ahrens will engage in focused studio research and experimentation across painting, folded paper, and sculptural studies. Through the development of new work, she will explore how orientation, interval, and extension influence relationships between object, space, and perception.