This vibrant abstract painting showcases a dazzling array of colors and dynamic, energetic brushstrokes. The canvas is dominated by a striking blue background, against which swirls of pink, orange, yellow, and white create a sense of movement and chaos. The composition is a seamless blend of organic forms and gestural, expressive lines, suggesting an underwater or cosmic-like scene. The style and techniques employed evoke a sense of spontaneity and emotional intensity, characteristic of the mid-20th century abstract expressionist movement. The artist's intention seems to be capturing the raw energy and primal forces of the natural world through an abstract visual language. ...
Through her art, A'Driane Nieves maps the intricate terrain of identity, memory, and emotional life. What began as a personal healing practice has grown into a nuanced exploration of suppressed emotions, ancestral histories, and the complexities of self-expression. Nieves draws inspiration from artists such as Joan Mitchell, Cy Twombly, Alma Thomas, and Mary Lovelace O’Neal, working across painting, writing, soft sculpture, and text-based media. Her abstract expressionist approach emphasizes vulnerability, transformation, and nonlinear narratives, often incorporating text fragments—sometimes legible, sometimes obscured—that mirror the layered, multifaceted nature of the self. As a Black, queer, neurodivergent woman, Nieves uses her work to assert presence and agency, creating a visual language that resonates with resilience and empowerment. She is also the founder of Tessera Arts Collective, a nonprofit and magazine dedicated to fostering creative access, community building, and support for women and non-binary abstract artists of color. ...
Various Small Fires (Los Angeles /Dallas /Seoul) began as a series of conversations with artists and curators in Esther Kim Varet’s Venice Beach kitchen while working on her doctoral dissertation. VSF debuted in Hollywood as an official gallery in 2015 with a roster of artists and its current Johnston MarkLee Architects-designed building. The Hollywood gallery contains three exhibition spaces, a unique sound corridor, and an outdoor gallery. VSF’s exhibition program explores several curatorial lines: climate, equality, and an international conversation. The gallery is known for offering artists debut shows, creating intergenerational conversations among the artists on its roster, and solidifying artists’ legacies within art history. In 2019, VSF opened a second location in the Hannam neighbourhood of Seoul, South Korea, followed recently this Spring by VSFs third outpost in Dallas, Texas. While Varet has very personal connections to both locations, they are also superlative art communities. These expansions emphasise the gallery’s commitment to innovation and global dialogue in the twenty-first century. In 2021, VSF became a member of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA). ...
