Allen is considered one of the most prominent exponents of the South African arts diaspora in the Northeastern USA.
[2] While still living in South Africa, Allen was founding member of the FLAT Gallery (1993–1995) within the context of an artists' initiative.
Siemon Allen is a passionate collector and archivist of South African ephemera, which he uses to create large-scale visual and informational installations.
Accordingly, these works are entitled "collection projects" and primarily explore the concept of creating identity through distance and the image of South Africa in general.
Allen's actual project is about the creation of a vast, internet-based archive of audio-documents regarding the South African history.