About Tina & a bit of her story
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Tina Alberni: A Multidisciplinary Intuitive Artist
Tina Alberni’s artistic journey is one of resilience, curiosity, and deep engagement with the world around her. Born in New York, she moved to Puerto Rico and later Bogotá, Colombia, where she spent her formative years. Growing up in South America, her experiences were shaped by the vibrant contrast of joy and tragedy, beauty and hardship, privilege and poverty. This multicultural, bilingual upbringing instilled in her a broad perspective—one that would later infuse her artwork with themes of connection, resilience, and transformation. Alberni’s first artistic memory dates back to childhood when she watched her mother, an artist, transform blank canvases into colorful landscapes. That moment sparked her love for creative expression, and by the age of six, she was experimenting with oil paints. Her artistic journey continued when she returned to the United States and pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education with a focus on printmaking. This led to a fulfilling 15-year career as an art teacher, inspiring middle and high school students, many of whom pursued artistic careers themselves. In the early ’90s, Alberni began navigating personal and global upheavals that fueled deeper artistic reflection. She recognized the pattern of chaos preceding creativity, a realization that shaped her approach to art. During this time, she spent a decade developing abstract figurative mixed-media drawings while balancing her teaching career. As technology advanced, she taught herself graphic and web design, expanding her creative practice into digital mediums and working with multinational companies to develop collateral materials. |
In 2007, seeking a slower pace of life after the whirlwind of Miami, Alberni and her husband moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. She quickly became an active member of the city’s arts community, serving on boards, mentoring emerging artists, and participating in public art projects. From 2011 to 2016, she co-owned a small gallery in South End with several other artists, showcasing local, national, and international talent. That experience deepened her understanding of the business side of art and provided opportunities to mentor others. She also engaged the community by organizing art-related surveys and collecting recycled materials for temporary public installations, fostering a culture of advocacy through creative participation.
Throughout her career, Alberni has embraced a multidisciplinary approach, working across painting, mixed-media collage, printmaking, and digital art. Her process begins with research, fueling the emotional energy that drives her mark-making. She employs automatism—spontaneous, intuitive mark-making—to create the foundation for her compositions. This is followed by layering textures, colors, and symbols, often incorporating found objects and recycled materials. Her work is characterized by vibrant palettes, influenced by her Andean heritage and her experience with synesthesia, which allows her to associate colors with words, numbers, and sounds. Large-scale mixed-media pieces call to her most, allowing for the physicality and movement essential to her process.
Over the years, my work has been showcased in over 100 solo, group, and virtual exhibitions worldwide. I’ve had the honor of exhibiting phygitally (exhibiting an original on a large digital screen in a physical gallery space) at The Foundry Gallery in Dubai, UAE; Piuda ARtSpace in Seoul, Korea; The ArtBox Project in Switzerland during Art Basel; On billboards in Miami, Charlotte, Barcelona, and Austria. I’ve been awarded grants from the Charlotte Arts and Science Council and received first-place awards for my innovative use of digital media. Recently, I have recently exhibited my work in New York, California, and North Carolina. My most recent exhibit features 6 of my works in a show titled Equilibrium at the Cabarrus Arts Council in North Carolina. Each painting includes an augmented reality feature to engage audiences through new technologies.
Living with Marfan syndrome, a life-threatening connective tissue disorder, has profoundly influenced Alberni’s art. Her health challenges, vision issues, and multiple life-changing surgeries have heightened her awareness of life’s fragility and resilience—central themes in her work. During her first open-heart surgery, she began exploring abstract figurative art. Years later, while undergoing a fourth surgery, she incorporated glass mosaics into her paintings, using broken glass as a metaphor for healing. These experiences have reinforced art’s role as both a sanctuary and a tool for processing adversity.
Alberni describes herself as an ‘artivist,’ merging art with activism to raise awareness of contemporary issues. Her work addresses climate change, endangered species, and the impact of technology on human connection. She donates a percentage of every art sale to non-profits related to the subject of the painting, reinforcing her belief that art can spark action and shift perspectives. Many of her collectors have been inspired to donate to causes, reassess their consumer habits, and advocate for nature preservation after engaging with her work.
Her curiosity continuously drives her to explore new materials and technologies. In recent years, she has integrated augmented reality into her work using the Artivive app, allowing viewers to scan her pieces and experience interactive animations. Teaching herself this technology has expanded her audience, particularly younger generations who are inherently connected to digital experiences.
Despite the inevitable interruptions caused by health challenges, Alberni remains deeply connected to her artistic practice. She creates with an acute awareness of life’s ebb and flow, understanding that both art and life move in cycles of intensity and rest. Her creative rhythm embraces both structure and spontaneity, balancing graphic precision with expressive, organic forms.
Looking to the future, Alberni envisions deeper explorations in the web3 space, blending digital art, AI, and augmented reality with physical works. She continues exhibiting globally, immersing audiences in multidimensional storytelling that bridges technology, the environment, and human connection. While she is not currently partnered with a gallery, she is open to collaborations with institutions that align with her mission of fostering deeper exploration and dialogue through art. She also hopes to continue engaging in public art projects that challenge boundaries and address contemporary issues.
Her works have found homes in private and public collections, including notable institutions such as Atrium, Nevins Center, Novant, Johns Hopkins Heart & Vascular Institute (Baltimore), La Casa de la Cultura del Banco Ganadero (Bogota), Liga Contra el Cancer (Miami), Consulado General de Colombia (Miami), and Sala de Exposiciones Larrea (Madrid). Alberni’s work can be found online, in exhibitions, and through private collections. Through her multidisciplinary practice, she invites viewers to reflect on their own journeys, find strength in resilience, and embrace the beauty within life’s complexities. Her art is a testament to the power of creativity as a catalyst for connection, change, and enduring inspiration.
(*) NOTE
Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder that affects the connective tissue, which is the fibers that support and hold organs and other structures in the body. It frequently affects the heart, eyes, blood vessels, and skeleton.
Individuals with this syndrome are typically tall and slender, and their arms, legs, toes, and fingers are unusually long. The damage caused by Marfan syndrome can range from mild to severe. If the aorta is affected, the condition can be life-threatening.
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/marfan-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20350782
Throughout her career, Alberni has embraced a multidisciplinary approach, working across painting, mixed-media collage, printmaking, and digital art. Her process begins with research, fueling the emotional energy that drives her mark-making. She employs automatism—spontaneous, intuitive mark-making—to create the foundation for her compositions. This is followed by layering textures, colors, and symbols, often incorporating found objects and recycled materials. Her work is characterized by vibrant palettes, influenced by her Andean heritage and her experience with synesthesia, which allows her to associate colors with words, numbers, and sounds. Large-scale mixed-media pieces call to her most, allowing for the physicality and movement essential to her process.
Over the years, my work has been showcased in over 100 solo, group, and virtual exhibitions worldwide. I’ve had the honor of exhibiting phygitally (exhibiting an original on a large digital screen in a physical gallery space) at The Foundry Gallery in Dubai, UAE; Piuda ARtSpace in Seoul, Korea; The ArtBox Project in Switzerland during Art Basel; On billboards in Miami, Charlotte, Barcelona, and Austria. I’ve been awarded grants from the Charlotte Arts and Science Council and received first-place awards for my innovative use of digital media. Recently, I have recently exhibited my work in New York, California, and North Carolina. My most recent exhibit features 6 of my works in a show titled Equilibrium at the Cabarrus Arts Council in North Carolina. Each painting includes an augmented reality feature to engage audiences through new technologies.
Living with Marfan syndrome, a life-threatening connective tissue disorder, has profoundly influenced Alberni’s art. Her health challenges, vision issues, and multiple life-changing surgeries have heightened her awareness of life’s fragility and resilience—central themes in her work. During her first open-heart surgery, she began exploring abstract figurative art. Years later, while undergoing a fourth surgery, she incorporated glass mosaics into her paintings, using broken glass as a metaphor for healing. These experiences have reinforced art’s role as both a sanctuary and a tool for processing adversity.
Alberni describes herself as an ‘artivist,’ merging art with activism to raise awareness of contemporary issues. Her work addresses climate change, endangered species, and the impact of technology on human connection. She donates a percentage of every art sale to non-profits related to the subject of the painting, reinforcing her belief that art can spark action and shift perspectives. Many of her collectors have been inspired to donate to causes, reassess their consumer habits, and advocate for nature preservation after engaging with her work.
Her curiosity continuously drives her to explore new materials and technologies. In recent years, she has integrated augmented reality into her work using the Artivive app, allowing viewers to scan her pieces and experience interactive animations. Teaching herself this technology has expanded her audience, particularly younger generations who are inherently connected to digital experiences.
Despite the inevitable interruptions caused by health challenges, Alberni remains deeply connected to her artistic practice. She creates with an acute awareness of life’s ebb and flow, understanding that both art and life move in cycles of intensity and rest. Her creative rhythm embraces both structure and spontaneity, balancing graphic precision with expressive, organic forms.
Looking to the future, Alberni envisions deeper explorations in the web3 space, blending digital art, AI, and augmented reality with physical works. She continues exhibiting globally, immersing audiences in multidimensional storytelling that bridges technology, the environment, and human connection. While she is not currently partnered with a gallery, she is open to collaborations with institutions that align with her mission of fostering deeper exploration and dialogue through art. She also hopes to continue engaging in public art projects that challenge boundaries and address contemporary issues.
Her works have found homes in private and public collections, including notable institutions such as Atrium, Nevins Center, Novant, Johns Hopkins Heart & Vascular Institute (Baltimore), La Casa de la Cultura del Banco Ganadero (Bogota), Liga Contra el Cancer (Miami), Consulado General de Colombia (Miami), and Sala de Exposiciones Larrea (Madrid). Alberni’s work can be found online, in exhibitions, and through private collections. Through her multidisciplinary practice, she invites viewers to reflect on their own journeys, find strength in resilience, and embrace the beauty within life’s complexities. Her art is a testament to the power of creativity as a catalyst for connection, change, and enduring inspiration.
(*) NOTE
Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder that affects the connective tissue, which is the fibers that support and hold organs and other structures in the body. It frequently affects the heart, eyes, blood vessels, and skeleton.
Individuals with this syndrome are typically tall and slender, and their arms, legs, toes, and fingers are unusually long. The damage caused by Marfan syndrome can range from mild to severe. If the aorta is affected, the condition can be life-threatening.
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/marfan-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20350782
In my home studio
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In my Mount Holly studio. Photo by Emily Andress
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I feel each medium, style and subject I develop directly correlates to what I'm going through on a physical and mental level (ie. when I worked in a heavily textured geometric style for about 6 years, it was an uncertain time for my life survival and totally out of my control. Heavy textures and geometric shapes served figuratively as structures and stitches holding me together to avoid further aneurysms.
My work with glass is all about life's extreme fragility and extreme strength because I've been at each of those extremes and the glass was a way for me to express how on one end I felt broken but on the other I felt like the bionic woman.
My current work with endangered animals is so full of empathy. Animals are so vulnerable and definitely underdogs falling prey to humans to a point of extinction. The pandemic put me in a very vulnerable position because of my preconditions, and I have always very much been the underdog in most situations throughout my life. It's not an easy place but it's certainly a place where I've learned to be resilient, find my strength and stay the course.
