Institute of Contemporary Art Miami ICA Miami

Nina Chanel Abney is an artist who was born in Chicago in 1982. Abney’s paintings capture the fast pace of contemporary life. Broaching subjects as diverse as race, celebrity, religion, politics, and art history, her works tell stories that have disjointed narratives instead of the linear, traditional form of beginning-middle-end. The effect is information overload, balanced with a kind of order that comes from the artist’s expert design skills.

“I work almost completely intuitively when it comes to painting,” she says. “It’s almost like a puzzle, a game, in the creation.”

“I typically try to create work that can start a conversation.”