Jessica Lauren Elizabeth Taylor

Jessica Lauren Elizabeth Taylor

Jessica Lauren Elizabeth Taylor (b. 1984, Florida) is a theater practitioner, social justice advocate and community organizer. Her roots are in the Southern United States, born in Mississippi and bred in Florida. Taylor's work manifests through performance, text, dialogue, dance and community building for Black People and People of Color. Her work centers on themes of ritual, visibility and identity mythology. She is chiefly concerned with ways to dismantle oppressive institutions and the creation of racial equity in art and theater. She strives to address race politics as a performer, maker and artist. Taylor's current artistic practice revolves around various states of the interpretive body and how best to mis-manage these expectations. Her advocacy and organizing work stems from contemporary critical race theory.

Taylor runs and hosts the monthly discursive salon on race politics and race relations 'Black in Berlin.' She has performed at the Barbican Centre of Art (lLondon, UK) Chisenhale Gallery (London, UK) Hebbel Am Ufer (Berlin, Germany) Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art (Berlin, Germany) Sophiensaele Theater (Berlin, Germany) and The Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art (Oslo, Norway).

She is currently Artist-in-Residence at District Berlin and will begin a Master's program at Goldsmiths University of London in Black British Writing in Fall 2017.

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