It s the first day of Art Basel Miami Beach—that fine art show meets madcap rager—and Jen Stark is in her element. Case in point: The 4:00 p.m. Soho Beach House brunch that she s calling from is part of a Basel tradition that dates back seven years. After that, it’s off to an art talk at WeWork, followed by a whirlwind schedule of meetings, launch dinners, and after-parties through Monday. "Woo baby!" she says, laughing. "I m in the full swing of it."
It’s been a pivotal year for the artist. There was a summer residency at The Surf Lodge in Montauk, where she drew dripping bands of color across the white clapboard house, followed by a cosmic rainbow wormhole commissioned by Miley Cyrus for the MTV VMAs and a series of kaleidoscopic light projections for the singer s "Lighter" video. Here at Basel, the 32-year-old is debuting a new large-scale painting at Untitled Art Fair: an organic splatter of wood with variegated stripes trickling downward, in her signature shades of cherry red, lime green, and blue.
Those eye-popping colors are Stark s trademark, part of an artistic vision that takes prisms, fractals, and ’70s psychedelia and infuses them with pure, unbridled joy. Naturally, we imagined Stark s approach to beauty might be equally vibrant—and were pleased to discover her penchant for gold Sade braids, bright red toe polish, and a violet lip. "I try to dress as colorfully as my work, and wear amazing vibrant makeup to connect everything," she says. "Your face becomes its own blank canvas—it s fun!” From a vivid fuchsia gloss to an electric yellow shadow, here are seven Stark-approved products for an instant Technicolor pop.
