This reception is for Laura Atria’s newest series, Chapter 2: They’re Trying Their Best, which has been made possible with support from the Broward County Cultural Division through a grant she received in 2021. The event is free and takes place on June 20th from 6 pm to 10 pm at Bubbles + Pearls, a Champagne and Oyster Bar brought to you by a Bravo Top Chef. Drinks and small bites will be available for purchase. The night includes a DJ performance by producer, musician, and digital creator tiny.blips whom Atria has partnered with for the grant along with performance art. The painting aspect of the Exhibit is currently on display and will be on display until at least October 1, 2022.

The series is an expansion of her previous series, Messy Hair, Messy Hearts. This new series focuses on the next phase of the feminine. These female portraits do not represent any woman in particular, rather Atria finds herself in each of the personified characters. She invents and documents these women in a desire to process past traumas and better understand herself. Chapter 2 is an elaboration of her previous portraits creating a further dialogue of the individual’s internal and external struggle to “be.” The characters represented in this series intuitively tell stories which she hopes allow the viewer to achieve a sense of healing and self-definition on a larger scale and more active expression. Atria worked with tiny.blips and Inner Ocean Records to create original music and video collages based around the new series. tiny.blips’ new album, which is based on art pieces included in the series, is titled “on the brush: beat tape” and will be released June 24th on Inner Ocean Records, on streaming platforms, as well as cassette. The event will include previews of the soon to be released music.