Alyssa Nader

Artist Statement

Nail art for me is a way to interact with the body in a way that's based in pure self expression, rather than conformity or trying to change oneself to fit an ideal. My art is care made visible and volitional, something that is chosen to occupy intimate space with the one who wears it. Alternative nail art upends rigid expectations of beauty and disrupts a traditionally rigid and gendered space. Coded styles simultaneously signal to others and remain invisible to those outside of our trusted circles.

Working with clients is activates my creativity since the work must get done. Someone is there waiting for you to finish their nails. My process is additive, iterative, and very improvisational. Off of another human, my process changes. I'm able to wander, I enjoy the freedom to create but I also have the freedom to procrastinate or get into my own head. It's a process of being with myself and shedding a lot of the usual constraints of wearability and someone else liking what I'm doing.