Peace Frog Print

Somma's work explores themes of identity, introspection, and environments. Each piece represents a fragment of personal and collective experience, inviting viewers to delve into a world where reality merges with the abstract and symbolic. Combined multi-dimensional renderings foster a sense of disassociation and transformation, evoking tensions between confinement and freedom, tradition and modernity. Site-specific pasts define symbols, giving way to broader concepts of being. Visual elements are meant to disrupt, provoke, and encourage reflection on the forces shaping identity, thought, and environments, whose existence is proven through historical narrative. Vibrant and unnatural color intensifies emotional landscapes. Working primarily in monochromatic palettes and exaggerated hues, Somma amplifies subjects' moods while making the surreal palpably real. "My work is an exploration of the self and the environments we inhabit - both physically and mentally. Looking through feeling toward reason, my work seeks to dismantle reality and perception through experience, prompting viewers to pause and question their own interpretations of what is real and why." Essie received a BA in Fine Art from the University of California Santa Barbara and attended Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London to study art marketing, business, and history and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts to study Visual Arts.