Died Laughing by Sophia Nieves

Sophia Nieves is no stranger to using art as a form of communication. "I had a lot of speech problems growing up, so [art] was a way to communicate for me," explains Nieves.

Her exhibit, Died Laughing, is the next level of communication with her audience, as she uses her work, namely her off-putting character, Sparky, to explore tough subjects and the masks that we wear in our everyday lives.

"[The exhibit name] is kind of based off of the reactions I get from when people do see my art and as they tend to have this kind of chuckle...it's a really dark, heavy subject of art. People look at it and kind of laugh it off a little bit."

"Sparky is essentially the mask that we wear everyday. [The mask] doesn't need make up or white-face; it doesn't need to be all dressed up. We already do that in the trends that we follow everyday."

Although these pieces have a special meaning to Sophia, she hopes that visitors will spark conversations over the work and find their own meaning in it

"The paintings might mean something different to me than it does somebody else, but to talk about it and share perspectives is important...That's how we grow."

Died Laughing is on display through October 12th

Follow Sophia on Instagram here

To learn more about the Local Artist Spotlight Gallery, visit: https://www.wearethearts.com/localartistspotlightgallery

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