Art & Activism 005 - @reynanoriega_
Between writing and visual art, Reyna Noriega has found two art forms between which she can flow and create. She speaks to the importance of identity while focusing on culture, expression and joy. Her work has been featured by The New York Times, Glory Skin Care and other outlets. Fans of her work consider it to be beautiful, transcendent and relatable. While these qualities align almost symmetrically with her intentions, Reyna creates to remind us that there’s more to Black and Brown people than how we’re portrayed by the media.
Name: Reyna Noriega
Age: 27
Race/Ethnicity/Any Identifications that Define/Describe You: Black, Afro-Latina, Caribbean - Mom: Bahamian, Dad from Cuba
Hometown: Born + raised in Miami
Occupation: Currently full-time visual artist + author; I was previously an arts educator at a high school
What was life like for you growing up? Life for me growing up was beautiful. I consider myself very privileged to have grown up in a happy home with loving parents. For that reason, joy and the pursuit of joy come very natural to me. Joy is super important to me, helping people learn how to cultivate that for themselves wherever they are in life with what they have.
When did you start creating your art and why? I started with writing first although I’ve always been interested in the process of creating art. My dad was a graphic designer, also did architectural renderings and embroidery. I always thought it was so cool to see his ideas being produced out in the world. I would go places, as a kid, and see embroidery patches that he designed on t-shirts and stuff. The whole phenomenon of having a sketchbook where you can draw and let loose was super enticing to me. I held onto the feeling of being able to create and express yourself although I didn't think I could draw until high school. I won a lot of awards in school for writing, but it wasn't until late high school where I took a class. My aunt also set me up with internships and the more I was around creative people, and exercising that, the better and more in touch with myself I felt. That just continued to spiral.
When did you start your Instagram page and why? So, I’ve had my Instagram for a long time - since 2010 when I was in high school. It was just something that we all had to keep in touch and share pictures. At first, it was photos of me and my family, and everything that I thought was cute.As I dove into photography, it became a hub for that and, little by little, I started to share more of my art. Back then, I was still very self-conscious. I liked to share the process and liked people to know that I was creating, but felt awkward about posting final pieces.
What topics or elements do you try to incorporate into your art? My art is meant to be a radical break from the imagery that’s been compounded and fed to us over time through media and what’s considered acceptable fine art, what’s celebrated and hangs in museums. I really wanted to break away from the trauma that we are forced to consume and that we regurgitate for our creations to be seen as valid and necessary.
I want to capture the radical decision of us just enjoying ourselves and celebrating our being specifically for women of color and black women. I want us to be shown in a positive, vibrant, happy setting. It’s also how I display all of the things I love like travel, architecture, color and things like that.
What does your process look like/involve when it comes to creating pieces? I create when I feel ready and free to create and that's why I like dabbling between writing and art so much because I never have to force one or the other. Some days the words flow and there are thoughts that I need to express and some mornings I'm just ready to have fun and let loose on paper or canvas or digital space whatever it might be. So I tend to like to create the environment that's conducive to me making my best work and feeling my best self. That’s usually like soft music or a playlist I’ve created, candles going, incense. I love being around my plants, natural light, things that make me feel freer to just flow.
What’re your feelings about the recent murders at the hands of the police? As I kind of mentioned before, my art has always been meant to be a commentary on the black experience and a break from the trauma that we have to experience that's regurgitated and fed to us by the media. I think that I have been very aware and tapped into what has gone on in the world and this country in regards to the disregard for black lives, police brutality, carceral system, systemic racism - all of that. My art is meant to fill people back up as we’re fighting the good fight because it's something that I needed.
As I started working with grassroots organizations and becoming more politically active, I would find myself feeling depleted, burned out, stressed, hopeless and I needed something to look forward to. I felt like with representation, there was a chance for me to see the other side of all of that. When it comes to police brutality, we have to continue to shed light on that, and educate people. I love the way art makes it possible to do that - because of art we are able to start talking points, able to compound and that helps us to stay educated and educate one another towards liberation. That's how it inspires my art.
One of the pieces that I did during the height of that time, after George Floyd's death and thinking of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and all of the lives lost too soon...it was my way of showing that when I draw beautiful images, it's not because I want to ignore or gloss over our experience its because we have to see first hand and experience so much of it that I like to be able to provide that contrast. There's a post on my page that says, “my art looks like this because my reality looks like that.” That was a direct commentary to that phenomenon.
Favorite Food: My favorite food, this is very hard, I think I would say quesadillas. I love food in general, I love trying new food and I probably have a favorite dish from every cultural cooking style. So I’d say #1 quesadillas - my favorite comfort food, #2 anything with rice and beans and then pizza which used to be number one, but it’s probably like #5 right now.
Favorite Genre of Music: My favorite genre of music is anything genreless, anything that's hard to define and it’s just about feeling good. It has instruments and a message. I love when you can tell that people put their best selves into creating the sounds and into the lyrics they wrote. It’s like poetry in music.
Favorite Artist/Band: It’s always very hard for me to answer those questions. I listen to a lot of Banks, Masego, Alina Baraz, FKJ - just music that sets the mood and is written by the singers. It’s their stories and their melodies - I love that a lot!
Favorite Tool to Use: Procreate on the iPad
Favorite Colors to use: Everything on my color palette - earthy, but vibrant: teals, oranges, browns and deep browns.
Favorite Inner/Outer Feature: Inner: my spirit, outer: my hands - they make it possible.
Favorite Item that you incorporate into your daily looks, special looks, going out, around the house: Earrings