World Meets Girl

They say creating art is coming face to face with yourself, and for Miami-based visual artist Reyna Noriega, that couldn’t be more true.

Leaving her full-time position as a high school art teacher in 2018, Reyna ventured out on her own to create joyful modern portraitures of women of color, refl ecting her own experience as an Afro-Latina woman. Since then, her artwork has graced the covers of Science Magazine and The New Yorker and thousands of people collect and showcase her art in their homes around the world. But behind her colorful creations, Reyna’s artwork serves a higher purpose: To fi ll the world with vibrant, joyful depictions of marginalized people.

As our featured artist of September’s Home Design and Remodeling Show, we had the opportunity to speak with Reyna about her multicultural and creative upbringing and how she uses her artistry to empower the voiceless to use their own voice.

Were you raised in a creative household?

Growing up, I got to see my dad balance his two loves, baseball and art, while my mom was a model, make-up artist, and teacher. Once I became more interested in art, it was very helpful to see that it was possible to make a living off of it based on my parents’ experiences. What role does your Afro-Latina culture play in your work?

Being Afro-Latina, it is always my mission to present strong female subjects of color in my work. Aside from that, I have a natural love and affinity for vibrant colors and plants thanks to the vibrancy of my culture.

The women in your work are almost always faceless. Is there a meaning behind that?

Absolutely. I wanted women to see themselves in my work. To me, the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I wanted the soul of my work to come from the women that would see parts of themselves reflected in it.

Are you working on any exciting upcoming projects you can share with us?

So far, my Brookfield Place Winter 2020 Installation, which has been my biggest installation to date, and my New Yorker covers were very pivotal moments in my career. This winter, I have a full hair accessory line coming out with Goody and Walmart, so I am very excited for that to hit the shelves.

Do you think your work is a reflection of yourself or a reflection of the world?

I would say it is a bit of both, I am a reflection of the way I am experiencing the world. As I learn more about myself through those experiences, I am able to communicate it and share it with others who may be experiencing the same things.

How do you balance creating meaningful art with creating joyful art?

The work is meaningful in the sense that it calls for communities that generally don’t get the luxury of just enjoying life and art to be the center of my work. It calls for a radical feeling of self-love. It calls for the validation of the humanity of minorities and the importance of having art and representation that is not rooted in our trauma.

To learn more about Reyna’a story and artwork or to contact her, visit her website www.reynanoriega.com or stay up to date with all of her projects on her Instagram @reynanoriega.