Jess Dobkin is an internationally acclaimed artist. Her practice extends across black boxes and white cubes, art fairs and subway stations, international festivals, and single bathroom stalls.
She operated an artist-run newsstand in a vacant subway station kiosk, a soup kitchen for artists, a breast milk tasting bar, and a performance festival hub for kids.
She was active in the downtown performance art scene in New York City before moving to Toronto in 2002.
Recent projects include Jess Dobkin’s Wetrospective solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) curated by Emelie Chhangur and Holding Coburn at Onsite Gallery in Toronto.
Her Dora-award performance, The Magic Hour, was developed through The Theatre Centre’s Residency program with support from the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council.
She created The Artist-Run Newsstand (2015-2016), a one-year artist-run newsstand that operated in a vacant subway station newsstand kiosk.
Her Lactation Station Breast Milk Bar (2006, 2012, 2016) continues to receive scholarly and media attention.
She was Guest Curator of MONOMYTHS at FADO Performance Art Centre (2016-2017), Guest Curator of Harbourfront Centre’s HATCH performing arts residency program (2011-2012) and a co-curator of the 7a-11d International Festival of Performance Art (2009-2012.)
She has taught as a Sessional Lecturer at OCAD University, the University of Toronto and Sheridan College, and was a Fellow at the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies at the University of Toronto.
She is currently Performing Archives Lead and Collaborating Artist of Hemispheric Encounters: Developing Transborder Research-Creation Practices (SSHRC).
Her photographic images, created to accompany her performances, are also published and exhibited as stand-alone works.
Her film and video works are distributed by Vtape and traces of her performance work are held in performance art archives internationally.