NINA CHANEL ABNEY: WINGING IT
Jeffrey Deitch is pleased to present Winging It, a captivating exhibition of new work by Nina Chanel Abney that redefines spirituality, resilience, and modern survival.
February 15 – April 26, 2025
Known for her vibrant use of color and layered narratives, Abney delves into the improvisational ways in which people navigate life’s uncertainties—through religion, astrology, social media affirmations, and even the ubiquitous, yet often dismissed, aesthetic of aspirational decor. Through vibrant, large scale paintings, works on paper, sculptures, and an immersive installation that debuts Abney’s first neon work, Winging It interrogates the blurred boundaries between sacred and secular, critiquing the commodification of belief while celebrating resilience, humor, and adaptability. The exhibition examines how individuals construct meaning in a world where traditional frameworks often falter, reimagining spirituality as something flexible, unstructured, and personal—qualities that resonate with the experience of “winging it” through life, especially when the formal answers and comforts of organized faith feel distant or irrelevant.
The title, Winging It, captures the essence of navigating a chaotic world without a clear guide, nodding to the adaptability and creativity required to piece together spiritual and emotional sustenance from fragmented sources. Abney juxtaposes symbols of traditional religion—angels, halos, and altars— with modern motifs, blending the sacred with the secular. Central to the exhibition is the idea that coping mechanisms, from TikTok mantras to “Live, Love, Laugh” signs, offer both comfort and scrutiny. These mass-produced artifacts, often categorized as “cheugy,” embody the commercialization of hope. Abney transforms them into cultural touchstones that reveal the aspirational, yet deeply human, effort to find solace in a fractured world.
Abney reimagines classical religious painting, investigating the tension between faith, performance, and societal expectation. A striking acrylic on canvas triptych inspired by Tyra Banks’ iconic “we were all rooting for you!” outburst serves as the exhibition’s emotional anchor. This painting explores how systems of validation—be they religious institutions, astrology memes, or motivational culture— oscillate between encouragement and judgment, reflecting the precarious balance between support and condemnation. The exhibition’s reimagined religious icons reinvent familiar symbols to reflect a more inclusive and accessible spirituality. This vision doesn’t promise all the answers or a straightforward path; instead, it suggests that spirituality can be a fluid, evolving practice, just as life itself is.
Through her dynamic works, Abney invites viewers to embrace imperfection and reimagine spirituality as an adaptive, deeply personal act. Whether through religious iconography or the playful exploration of mass-market culture, Winging It celebrates the messy, improvisational process of finding meaning and strength in an unpredictable world.