Artist Statement

Oria Simonini is an artist currently based in Omaha, Nebraska. She was born in French Guiana to Argentine parents. Her early years were spent sailing and living in Central America, where they settled in Guatemala, in an area surrounded by jungle and rivers. Her family later migrated to the United States, living in Nebraska since her teenage years, although never cutting ties with Guatemala.

Oria received her Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2018

I'm a visual artist, a painter, a muralist, and a community organizer. I use a variety of mediums in my practice with a fondness toward painting. My work is figurative, oftentimes loosely rendered. It evokes the migrant and refugee experience, our relationship to environment and spaces: spaces are inhabited in dramatically different manners depending on class, race, and country of origin. My personal experiences as an immigrant, growing up biculturally, and being bilingual influence and tone my work. My practice is deeply tied to community; my mural projects involve a dialogue with the community, either by facilitating in person workshops and group painting sessions or by gathering direct input from the people who will live with the piece. I believe in the power of art as a tool for social and political change and as a means to profoundly connect folks to one another. I believe in nurturing everybody’s creative spirit, regardless of level or achievement.