Nina Chanel Abney

Nina Chanel Abney

(b. Chicago, Illinois 1982)
Lives and works in New York, NY

#33, 2018, spray paint on canvas

Collection of Dr. Robert B. Feldman 

Artist Nina Chanel Abney creates narrative compositions of seemingly lighthearted scenes imbued with her personal language and graphic sensibility, which employ vibrant pops of color and icons that are superficially sweet but upon closer examination are meant to trick the viewer into having potentially sour and tough conversations around gender and race. Significantly reducing the depth of the picture plane, Abney responds to current events, rapidly and intuitively taping off basic shapes and spray painting geometric figures, people, at the fore of her compositions. Details are layered into the moment of a story she is telling through her use of stencils, an interest in abbreviations and symbols of meaning inspired by the emoji. In #33, Abney depicts a black man with an on-trend flat top, but who is exposed in heart and body. The floating question marks and hearts around the man hint at confusion and sadness caused by what is happening in the scene. Volleyballs are lobbed toward the figure as black and red stars fall to his feet already underwater. A white hand enters the frame, presumably with something to say, and SCORE is spray painted at his feet, which might be a timely reference to the woeful treatment of black athletes who use their stature and voices to point out racial injustices in the United States they love, only to be told to “Shut Up and Play Ball.” The scene also asks the viewer to consider other racial biases, to consider why the subject is playing volleyball rather than basketball or football.