Bria Corranda (b.1994, Chicago, IL) is a figurative artist that lives and works in Chicago, Illinois. She started her art journey at Columbia College Chicago studying Animation.In 2021 shifting her practice from digital to traditional painting, she completed her first series "Don't Call Me Beautiful", which takes the viewer along her journey of reflection and self discovery. Her work has been exhibited at Guichard Gallery, Chicago, IL; Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, IL. Her early digital works are displayed at Doolittle Elementary, Chicago, IL.
Through figurative painting and self-portraiture, my work addresses the intimacy of understanding oneself. I want to build the imagery of identity and sexuality; all while capturing vulnerability and fear. Many of my paintings using myself as the subject, the figure is drawn connected or intertwined. Creating this ambiguous figure, combining multiple faces and bodies allows me to incorporate the deconstruction of structures surrounding gender identity and expression. As a black woman having to experience the duality of being visible and invisible.
The colors that I choose, cooler blues against the warm reds and orange, I believe are inviting. It can captivate the viewer but also gives a slight hesitation to question what it can mean. The monochromatic hues is a rather simple palette to convey a complex figure. It brings truth but also imagination. I realize that what viewers see is something that I see within myself. I can only hope that anyone that comes in contact with my work sees their own reflection.