Jessica Luostarinen is a painter working primarily in oil. Her practice explores how identity is constructed, performed, and protected. She is interested in the emotional and psychological strategies people develop to navigate the world, and in how identity is shaped not only through social roles or appearances, but through the objects we attach meaning to, the rituals we repeat, and the memories we carry.
There is a sense of archaeology in her process. She seeks to unearth moments that feel buried: the things we were drawn to as children, when curiosity moved instinctively. She is interested in the symbolic weight of everyday objects — a shell, a napkin, a piece of fabric — which hold meaning not because of what they are, but because of what we have come to believe they represent. These beliefs can offer protection, power, or comfort. In her paintings, such objects often become metaphors for how we assemble ourselves emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually.
A significant part of her recent work explores these ideas through a series of paintings that use armour as a central motif. She sees armour not simply as a historical object, but as a symbol of the protective structures, both visible and invisible, that we build around ourselves. These works reflect on contemporary forms of self-protection, drawing parallels between the literal and metaphorical shields people carry.
Her imagery is drawn from a mix of found and constructed sources, including film stills, archival material, online images, personal snapshots, and built still lifes. She is drawn to the space between performance and privacy, where roles are being prepared rather than performed. She works with a muted, often monochromatic palette that brings the focus to gesture and tone. This visual restraint mirrors the emotional territory she explores: subtle shifts, half-held expressions, and objects in transition.
Luostarinen often works in series, allowing themes and motifs to deepen and evolve over time. Symbolism and gesture play a strong role in her compositions, and she is interested in building narratives that emerge through minimal visual cues.