a’driane nieves
B. 1982, San Antonio. Lives and works in Philadelphia.
A self-taught artist, a’driane nieves first turned to painting while recovering from postpartum depression in 2011. Recognizing the therapeutic effects of the practice, she eventually discovered the benefits of Abstract Expressionism as a means to address trauma and emotional suppression. nieves’s intensely unruly works reflect the influence of abstract painters like Joan Mitchell and Bernice Bing, but the artist also found inspiration in Frankenthaler’s oeuvre early on in her artistic practice. “I’d say [it] revolved primarily around her use of color but also size,” nieves said, in an interview with Artsy. “Seeing how large she worked and how expansive her canvases were helped me understand that I don’t have to limit myself in terms of either…[she] encouraged me to be bold and unrestrained in the studio.” This fall, nieves will have a solo booth at The Armory Show with Galerie Marguo, which represents her.
