Nina chanel abney, born in 1982, paints in a bold graphic style with a bright color palette, creating powerful narratives and iconic scenes on canvas, buildings, museum walls, and even basketball courts.
In them, Abney tackles the injustices of our time in densely populated compositions of abstract and symbolic figures and forms that seduce the viewer while gradually revealing some of the most serious issues of our time: racial inequality, gender discrimination gender and gun violenceamong other current affairs.
In Abney's hands, the modernist visual language of Romare Bearden, Stuart Davis y Henri Matisse integrates with the symbolism of contemporary technology.
Plenty of fish. Source: New York Art Tours
Relevant and timeless, his paintings are revealing and provocative, and avoid judgment while demanding attention.
Unified through his characteristic visual language of symbols and stylized figures, his prints and collages extract both the theme and the message of the current events and society.
In his words, “While I am creating a piece, whatever is happening at the moment can find its way into the work.”
With their alluring color palette, Abney's works invite the viewer to get closer, only to find themselves confronted with messages that can leave them bewildered. From the pernicious effects of housing discrimination to the racist rhetoric found in current policy, Abney invites the viewer to participate in timely conversations.
Influenced by how society accumulates and processes overwhelming amounts of information, Abney's universal language of symbols adheres to a multitude of meanings, depending on its context. He welcomes all reactions to his artwork and states that the goal is to start a dialogue.
His graphic and iconic compositions open the doors for viewers to approach burning cultural issues from a variety of angles and allow them to weave their own personal experiences in the narrative.
"I really want to start the conversation; I'm not necessarily trying to push a personal agenda or a personal message. I just want everyone to talk about these issues."
Abney was born in Chicago and currently lives and works in New York. His work is included in collections around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art de New York, Brooklyn museum, Rubell Family Collection, el bronx museum and Burger Collection de Hong Kong.
Abney's first solo exhibition in a museum, Nina Chanel Abney: Royal Flush, was commissioned by marshall price, and cured by Nancy Hanks.
After its debut in a museum abroad in the Palace de Tokyo in 2018, Abney has continued to exhibit around the world, including at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in 2021-2022. His next individual exhibitions will be at the Gordon Parks Foundation, ICA Miami y MoCA Cleveland.
After all, you cannot miss the paintings of Nina chanel abney, visually frenetic, that they reflect the frenetic energy of today's life; an artist whose imagery refers to topics as diverse as culture pop, world events and art history in compositions with flat and simplified shapes.