My work is not representative of our external; instead it is about our (Black) bodies, experiences, traumas & triumphs, healing, & identities from an internal perspective. Each piece is a part of the body, psyche, and soul turned inside out; the intimate recesses, fault lines, eroded sediment, gravity wells, multitudes, & universes we contain as we navigate a society that judges us by what can be seen with the eye.
— a'driane nieves
a'driane nieves was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1982.
A visual artist and writer, a'driane nieves is a U.S. Air Force veteran and the founder of an arts nonprofit and art magazine. Nieves is a self-taught painter of over a decade. At the urging of her therapist, she began using painting as a form of art therapy in 2011 during her recovery from postpartum depression and following her later diagnosis of bipolar disorder. This initial experimentation led to her using abstract expressionist painting as a way to overcome the impacts of childhood abuse, specifically emotional suppression. Influenced by Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Bernice Bing, and early Black abstractionist painters ranging from Alma Thomas to Mary Lovelace O’Neal, Nieves’ paintings offer space for her own and others' quiet reflection and contemplation. She credits both the writing and visual components of her practice with helping her to find her voice and creating space for her to safely release long-buried emotions.
In 2018, Nieves founded Tessera Arts Collective, a not-for-profit serving women and non-binary abstract artists of color. Nieves exhibits internationally; recent solo and group shows including self evident truths (Various Small Fires, L.A); Synaptic Blooming (EDIT Projects, Seoul); Resonant Harmonies (Standing Pine Gallery, Tokyo); Notes from the Laughing Barrel (Galerie Marguo, Paris); in addition to presentations at Frieze London, L.A; Art021 Shanghai. Her work can be found in collections across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, including Fondation Louis Vuitton, Dangxia Art Space, Beijing, Spurs Collection in San Antonio, USA, and the Rennie Museum, Vancouver, Canada. Nieves will make her institutional debut this upcoming fall with a solo presentation at Le Consortium Museum (Dijon, France).
Born 1982 in San Antonio, Texas. Lives and works in Greater Philadelphia Area.
Founder & Executive Director, Tessera Arts Collective
Education
2011 |
Associate of Arts (AA), Camden County College |
Solo Exhibitions
2024 |
Consortium Museum, let's dance our way back home, Dijon, France |
The Armory Show 2024, Wholeness is Worth its Weight, New York, USA |
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Various Small Fires, self evident truths, Los Angeles, USA |
2023 |
Galerie Marguo, Synaptic Blooming, hosted by Edit Projects, Seoul, South Korea |
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Galerie Marguo, im a Survivor, Paris, France (online) |
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Galerie Marguo, Notes from The Laughing Barrel, Paris, France |
2022 |
Galerie Marguo, Notes from the Healing Circle (online presentation), Paris, France |
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 |
Standing Pine, Resonant Harmonies, Nagoya, Japan |
2023 |
Galerie Marguo, ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, Shanghai, China |
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Various Small Fires, Frieze London 2023, London, UK |
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Galerie Marguo, Home Run, Casa Marguo Inaugural Exhibition, Menorca, Spain |
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Gillian Jason Gallery, Beyond Figuration: There and Now, London, UK |
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BODE Projects, Color Coded, Berlin, Germany |
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Smart Fine Arts, Women in Abstraction, Hong Kong |
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Galerie Marguo, Art Paris 2023, Paris, France |
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Bode Projects Gallery, Color Coded, Berlin, Germany |
2022 |
Galerie Marguo, ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, Shanghai, China |
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Simon Lee Gallery, Frieze London, London, England |
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Simon Lee Gallery, Art Basel, Basel, Switzerland |
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Consortium Museum, The Drawing Center Show, Dijon, France |
2021 |
Galerie Marguo, ART021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, Shanghai, China |
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West Chelsea Contemporary JVN x WCC On the Wall”, Austin, USA |
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Susan Eley Fine Art, Three Abstract Artists, New York, USA |
2020 |
Susan Eley Fine Art, AMERICANA Part II, New York, USA |
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The Delaware Contemporary, From Chaos to Order, Making Our Way in the World of COVID-19, Wilmington, USA |
2019 |
UICA, SPECTRA, Grand Rapids, USA |
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Girlboss Rally, Perfecting the Journey, Los Angeles, USA |
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Goat Farm Arts Center, Her Ritual, Atlanta, USA |
2017 |
Saatchi Art, The Other Art Fair, New York, USA |
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Rare Device, WOMEN, San Francisco, USA |
2016 |
Dibden Center for the Arts, AWAKEN, Johnson State College, Johnson, Vermont, USA |
2015 |
Wild Goose Festival, Life as Art exhibition & Q&A w/ Frank Schaeffer, Asheville, USA |
Collections
Rennie Museum, Vancouver, Canada X Museum, Beijing, China Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France Spurs Collection, San Antonio, USA Podo Museum, South Korea |
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Murals & Public Art
2021 |
Philadelphia Flower Show, Philadelphia, USA |
2019 |
Streets Dept. Walls, Fashion District, Philadelphia, USA |
Publications
2023 |
a'driane nieves, notes from the laughing barrel, Marguo Books (essay collection) |
2021 |
Abstractions Magazine ISSUE 001, Tessera Arts Collective |
2020 |
Schiffer Publishing, The Motherhood of Art, Marissa Huber & Heather Kirtland, interview and photos |
2019 |
Create Magazine, Issue XI |
2017 |
Ashley M. Jones, Magic City Gospel, Hub City Press, book cover |
2015 |
Ashlee Wells Jackson, The 4th Trimester Bodies Project, interview and photos |
Bibliography
2024 |
Milosevic, Mia, “A’Driane Nieves Dismantles The Policing of Emotionality in self-evident truths @ VSF In Los Angeles,” AUTRE Magazine, March 9. |
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Griffin, Jonathan, “Here’s What Inspired Self-Taught Artist A’Driane Nieves In the Creation of Her First Solo Show,” Cultured, February 27. |
2023 |
Halperin, Julia, “Painting Outside the Lines: 7 Women Pushing the Boundaries of Abstract Art,” W Magazine, December 13. |
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Manning-Schaffel, Vivian, “A’Driane Nieves Embraces the Abstract,” Shondaland, June 29. |
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Erman, Ayse, “LVH In Conversation With A’Driane Nieves,” March 17. |
2021 |
Hines, Bethany, “Painting helped this self-taught artist find balance with bipolar disorder. Now, she’s helping others,” CNN, June 21. |
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Van Ness, Jonathan, “How Did You Become Such An Amazing Artist? with A’Driane Nieves,” Getting Curious with JVN, March 3. (Podcast). |
2020 |
Amataya Studio, “Dear Artist Season 2 Episode 7 with A’Driane Nieves,” Dear Artist Project, May 22. (Podcast). |
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Popova, Ekaterina, “Don’t Be Afraid to Take Up Space,” Create Magazine, April 10. (Podcast) |
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López, Wit, “Curator Close-up, A’Driane Nieves of Tessera Arts Collective, Artblog, March 19. |
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Nelms, Satya, “Drawing Boundaries and Holding Grace: In the Garden with A’Driane Nieves,” Our Mother’s Gardens, March 1. (Podcast). |
2019 |
Buteyn, Kaylan, “Processing trauma, finding your voice, and building a legacy with A’Driane Nieves,” Artist/Mother Podcast, October 28. (Podcast). |
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Nieves, A’Driane, “Streets Dept. Walls: Marrying My Philly & Southwestern Roots For Fashion District Philadelphia,” Medium, September 16. |
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Dark, Natalie,“Meet the Community That Nurtures My Art & Helps Me Build Resilience”, Everyday Health, May 8. |
Curtis, Tiffany, “Herstory”, Black History Untold. |
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2018 |
Curtis, Tiffany Lashai, “New Fishtown Gallery Spotlights Women Artists of Color”, Philadelphia Inquirer, December 4. |
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Blair, Gabrielle, “Creating A Family Charter,” Design Mom, September 6. |
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Harris, Ida, “13 Incredible Black Artists, Past And Present, Everybody Should Know”, Blavity, February 6. “Painting Saved My Sanity,” The Creativity Habit. (Podcast). |
2017 |
KC, “Artist Spotlight: A’Driane Nieves”, Rare Device Blog, May 1. |
2016 |
“A’Driane Nieves on The Future of Art”, The Future According to Women, MISC Magazine. |
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Amanpour, Christiane, “Bono Just Became Glamour’s First Man of the Year,” Glamour Magazine, October 31. |
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a'driane nievesafter all of this time, i’ve finally learned to go the way my blood beats. (baldwin) II, 2024Acrylic and house paint on Belgian linen127 x 177.8 cm (50 x 70 in)
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a'driane nievesan embodied legacy/look at how your garden has matured/ woman-ish in my ways/ hope I've made you proud, 2024Acrylic and house paint on Belgian linen177.8 x 203.2 cm (80 x 70 in)
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a'driane nievesit is here amongst the flowers and thorns, with my hands buried deep in the soil that i weep, i dream, i dance with both the past and the future, i tether myself to hope, and fight to grasp ahold of what feels just beyond my reach, 2024Acrylic and house paint on Belgian linen162.6 x 182.9 cm (64 x 72 in)
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a'driane nievesExuberant Synaptogenesis #1, 2023Acrylic, house paint and sanguine dry lead on Belgian linen152.4 x 182.9 cm (60 x 72 in)
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a'driane nievesExuberant Synaptogenesis #2, 2023Acrylic and house paint on Belgian linen182.9 x 152.4 cm (72 x 60 in)
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a'driane nievesMy Window of Tolerance is Increasing, 2023Acrylic, house paint and graphite on Belgian linen152.4 x 152.4 cm (60 x 60 in)
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a'driane nievesNeuroplasticity (Transformative Re-Wiring) #4, 2023Acrylic, pastel and pencil on paper76.2 x 55.9 cm (30 x 22 in)
Framed: 99 x 79 x 4 cm (39 x 31 1/8 x 1 5/8 in) -
a'driane nievesNotes #3, 2023Acrylic on paper41.9 x 29.5 cm (16 1/2 x 11 5/8 in)
47.3 x 34.5 cm (framed) -
a'driane nievesA Somatic Feeling , 2022Acrylic, house paint on Belgian linen152.4 x 152.4 cm
60 x 60 in -
a'driane nievesAn atypical black hole in a typical universe, 2022Acrylic, house paint on Belgian linenDiptych, each 182.9 x 152.4 x 3.8 cm (72 x 60 x 1 1/2 in)
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a'driane nievesBetween Two Lungs (Somatic Breaths) , 2022Acrylic, house paint
Belgian linen
121.9 x 91.4 cm (48 x 36 in) -
a'driane nievesBloodlines: Madonna and Child, Mother and Me, 2022Acrylic, oil stick, and graphite on paper41.9 x 29.2 cm (16 1/2 x 11 1/2 in)
51 x 38 x 3 cm (framed) -
a'driane nievesCoagulation: When The Healing Factors Rush In, 2022Acrylic and house paint on Belgian linen203.2 x 177.8 cm (80 x 70 in)
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a'driane nievesI Brought You with Me, 2022Acrylic, sanguine dry lead on paper76.2 x 55.9 cm (30 x 22 in)
86 x 66 x 3 cm (framed) -
a'driane nievesI’ve Given Up The Mud of The Past For Flowers of Healing Instead, 2022Acrylic and house paint on Belgian linen152.4 x 243.8 cm (60 x 96 in)
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a'driane nievesMutable (Shapeshifting), 2022Acrylic on paper76.2 x 55.9 cm (30 x 22 in)
86 x 66 x 3 cm (framed) -
a'driane nievesMy life has been a study in self revolution, 2022Acrylic, house paint, graphite, sanguine dry lead on Belgian linen177.8 x 127 x 3.8 cm
70 x 50 x 1 1/2 in -
a'driane nievesNotes From the Healing Circle (I), 2022Acrylic, house paint on Belgian linen203,2 x 162,6 x 3.8 cm
80 x 64 x 1 1/2 in -
a'driane nievesYou Wished Me Heaven But Gave Me Hell... Yet I Still Played in the Sunshine, 2022Acrylic, pastel and house paint on Belgian linen203.2 x 177.8 cm (80 x 70 in)
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a'driane nievesChimera (1987), 2021Acrylic, spray paint, house paint, graphite on linen120,5 x 202 cm
52 x 88 in -
a'driane nievesShadow Work, 2021Acrylic on canvas152.4 x 152.4 cm
60 x 60 in
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A'Driane Nieves: Notes From The Laughing Barrel
Paris Exhibition Artist Film 2023年1月18日Galerie Marguo is thrilled to present Notes From The Laughing Barrel, a suite of new works by the American artist A’Driane Nieves. On view from...继续 -
A'Driane Nieves: Notes From The Laughing Barrel
Paris Exhibition Teaser 2023年1月11日 -
Galerie Marguo @ ART021 Shanghai 2021
Art Fair 2021年11月10日Galerie Marguo is pleased to be participating in ART021, with a presentation of nine contemporary international artists working in painting and photography. Spanning a variety...继续
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Rennie Museum Announces Acquisition of A'Driane Nieves' Artwork
2022年9月16日Galerie Marguo is pleased to announce that the painting An atypical black hole in a ...继续 -
#MarguoSummer and Looking Ahead to the Fall
Gallery Closed for Summer Holiday until 15 August 2022 2022年7月27日Galerie Marguo is temporarily closed for the summer holiday till 15 August. Come back to t...继续 -
Marguo Artists Included in The Drawing Centre Show at Le Consortium, Dijon
2022年7月2日Galerie Marguo is delighted to announce that three artists from its program, A&r...继续
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Artsy: 10 Contemporary Women Artists Channeling Helen Frankenthaler’s Abstract Expressionism
Salomé Gómez-Upegui, Artsy, 2024年8月23日 -
Autre: A'DRIANE NIEVES DISMANTLES THE POLICING OF EMOTIONALITY IN SELF-EVIDENT TRUTHS @ VSF IN LOS ANGELES
Autre, 2024年3月9日 -
Meer: A'driane Nieves. Self-evident truths
27 Feb — 6 Apr 2024 at Various Small Fires in Dallas, United StatesMeer Magazine, 2024年2月27日 -
Cultured: Here's What Inspired Self-Taught Artist A’Driane Nieves In the Creation of Her First Solo Show
Jonathan Griffin, Cultured Magazine, 2024年2月27日 -
W Magazine: Painting Outside the Lines
Contemporary female artists are approaching abstraction with an eye toward the inner worldJulia Halperin, W Magazine, 2023年12月13日 -
Culture Type: Latest News in Black Art: Photographer Roland Freeman Died, Nigeria Named New Culture Minister, A’Driane N
Victoria L. Valentine, Culture Type , 2023年8月25日 -
Shondaland: A’Driane Nieves Embraces the Abstract
VIVIAN MANNING-SCHAFFEL, Shondaland, 2023年6月29日 -
LVH In Conversation With A'Driane Nieves
Ayse Erman, LVHART -
Streets Dept. Walls: Marrying My Philly & Southwestern Roots For Fashion District Philadelphia
A'Driane Nieves, Medium -
Painting helped this self-taught artist find balance with bipolar disorder. Now, she's helping others
Bethany Hines, CNN, 2021年6月3日 -
How Did You Become Such An Amazing Artist? with A’Driane Nieves
Jonathan Van Ness, Getting Curious with JVN, 2021年3月3日 -
Curator Close-up, A’Driane Nieves of Tessera Arts Collective
Wit López, The Artblog, 2020年3月19日 -
New Fishtown gallery spotlights women artists of color
Tiffany Lashai Curtis, The Inquirer, 2018年12月4日 -
Interview with artist A'Driane Nieves
KC, Rare Device Blog, 2017年5月1日 -
Bono Just Became Glamour's First Man of the Year
Christiane Amanpour, Glamour Magazine, 2016年10月31日