Nia Simone Profile

Nia Simone

In this series of self–portraits, Compton–based artist Nia Simone uses her surrealist style and the vivid colors of her oil paints to capture her interior life in striking detail. Set against lush landscapes or in narrow rooms, the shifting sense of scale in the paintings pulls the viewer towards a complex understanding of the subject’s relationship with her environment. Whether the subject is crouched in a bathroom or standing tall and shining like the sun, Simone captures the dreamlike lens through which our emotions color the world. Here, the rich textures of her artwork mirror the layered experiences that overlap throughout the series. The tears that often contour Simone’s painted face fill bathtubs and oceans, and they water the flowers where she sits next to her mother. Evocative and mesmerizing, this portfolio is a nuanced journey into the artist’s self–reflection.