A’Driane Nieves experiments with Abstract Expressionist painting as a way to engage with trauma, notably emotional suppression. Her practice is influenced by Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Bernice Bing, and black abstractionist painters ranging from Alma Thomas to Mary Lovelace O’Neal. Nieves explores various facets of trauma and how they affect individual identity, and at the same time investigating the joy that can occur even in the presence of pain. Abstraction is perfectly suited for this work, as its inherent rawness captures the essence of the complex emotions Nieves experiences. The artist sees abstraction as the artistic method most suited to process experience, and her vivid brushwork reflects a deeply personal relationship with the canvas. Her gestural strokes of paint start an intimate conversation with the viewer, encouraging us to honestly probe the events and experiences that have shaped our own identities throughout our lives.

Nieves’ internal world is embedded in her canvases, as she reflects on personal experiences beginning with her childhood. The artist also draws upon the intersectionality of her identity as a Black, queer, chronically ill woman and mother, which exist under oppressive norms. As she puts it, “if my external is political, so then is my artistic voice.” Nieves’ artistic voice is an extension of herself, a way to discover the processes of her mind and to exert agency over the perceptions of her body and worth. Nieves’ artwork creates space for her simply to exist, free from any preconceived expectations.

‘The Chariot’ and ‘The Tower and Temperance’ are both inspired by cards from the major arcana in tarot. These are divinations that have enabled the artist to access truths about herself and her life serving as anchors and guides during a season of life-altering endings and beginnings, death and rebirth, ruin and repair. They exemplify Nieves’ signature style of expression and gesture.

A’Driane Nieves is a U.S. Air Force veteran and the founder of Tessera Arts Collective, a not-for-profit that serves women and non-binary abstract artists of colour. A self-taught artist, Nieves began painting as therapeutic practice while recovering from postpartum depression and following a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Nieves’ paintings are in private collections across the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia & Australia. Her work was recently acquired by Dangxia Art Space in Beijing and Rennie Museum, Vancouver, Canada. Nieves’ work has been featured in numerous international exhibitions and art fairs: ‘Art Paris’ in 2022 and ‘ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair’ in 2023 with Galerie Marguo, ‘Frieze London’ and ‘Art Basel’ in 2022 with Simon Lee Gallery and in the United States with Susan Eley Fine Art.