Nina Chanel Abney American, b. 1982

Considered one of the most powerful voices on the contemporary art scene, her vivid paintings boldly denounce current societal issues. A graduate of Augustana University and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Abney has developed a unique style blending expressive figuration and unbridled abstraction. Her teeming canvases borrow from the visual codes of advertising, comics and video games. Her striking depictions of chaotic urban scenes and distorted characters evoke racial tensions, violence and over-consumption in American society. Her daring work defies aesthetic norms in order to better criticize social dysfunctions. Widely acclaimed by critics, Nina Chanel Abney has exhibited at major international museums like the Nasher Museum of Art. Popular with collectors, this committed artist of the young guard stands as a new icon to watch in the contemporary art world.