Jaysen Hohlen is a Minneapolis-based artist and curator. He grew up in Central Minnesota where his father has worked as a builder for over forty years. His current work engages historic gay bars and cruising spaces in the Twin Cities and the industries that now inhabit their sites. He approaches urban renewal efforts, archival materials, corporate structures and sexual economies through a working class lens.
Jaysen graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in Studio Arts in 2019. He has received support from the McKnight Foundation, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, Midway Contemporary Art and the Andy Warhol Foundation for Visual Arts. Hohlen’s work has been shown in a variety of venues and publications including Waiting Room (Minneapolis, MN), the Walker Art Center’s Reader (Minneapolis, MN) and The Centre for the Periphery (Bavaria, DE). He co-founded and is the current Director of the project space PAPA in St. Paul, Minnesota.