BIOGRAPHY

Nia Simone is a visual artist whose work explores the depth and complexity of Black identity, womanhood, and inner-city life. Born in Compton and raised between Los Angeles and Ohio, her art is shaped by the tension between belonging and otherness. These experiences inform her exploration of self, community, and the unseen emotional landscapes that define Black life.

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Through self-portraiture, surrealism, and layered storytelling, Nia challenges reductive narratives, portraying Black people in their full complexity—beyond struggle, beyond stereotype. She also seeks to move beyond the Black excellence narrative often upheld within the community, recognizing that defining worth solely through labor, achievement, or overcoming hardship remains a limiting framework. A box is still a box, no matter the spectrum, and true liberation lies in expanding how Black identity is understood—outside of work, resilience, or downfall, but as full, autonomous existence in all its nuances.

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Nia is also deeply committed to arts accessibility and community engagement. As a Creative Developer at Black in Mayberry, she helps curate exhibitions, organize workshops, and foster artistic storytelling. She has exhibited throughout Los Angeles, and her work extends beyond galleries into advocacy for equitable arts access. In Fall 2025, she will begin working as an educator through Teach for America, serving students in an underserved community in Los Angeles.

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Currently pursuing her BA in Art at UC Irvine, Nia blends formal training with a deep commitment to artistic autonomy. Her mixed-media practice, spanning oil and acrylic painting, drawing, and apparel design, reflects her belief in art as a powerful tool for representation, reclamation, and liberation.