Trusting the Process: Giannelli Vargas
- Phyllis Sanders
- 6 days ago
- 4 min read
Artist of the Month: Giannelli “Gia” Vargas
One thing we have learned working with artists, is that sharing art work takes courage, not the performative kind, but a more vulnerable courage that asks to be handled with care. Especially when the work centers pain, healing, identity, and lived experience. Making something private, visible, is to carry memory into the open, to let grief and reflection take form. When artists choose to do this, they offer more than an object, they offer a piece of themselves.
Giannelli “Gia” Vargas is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist and founder of Eleveno2 Artwear, she moves between painting, wearable art, and storytelling. Jackets, hats, and canvases become materials for expression, surfaces where personal history, cultural memory, and emotional truth unfold. Her work does not attempt to bypass pain or resolve it neatly, instead, it lingers, listens, and allows transformation to unfold on its own terms.
Inspiration
Raised in Brooklyn, Gia’s creative language is inseparable from the familiar streets, stoops, and daily rhythms of her neighborhood, shaping the content and spirit of her work. Pieces like La Calle Se Levanta carry the pulse of Bushwick’s streets, translating collective struggle into solidarity, through layered color and movement. Her art holds joy and hardship at once, reflecting a reality where resilience is learned early.
Across her work, color functions as symbol and process. Yellow appears again and again, not as decoration, but with intention, emerging as light within darkness, a point of warmth and clarity that does not erase what surrounds it. In works such as The Breakthrough, where a woman steps free from constraint, yellow becomes a visual threshold, marking the moment where pain shifts into power. In Journey Through Muddy Waters, brighter tones cut through heavier ground, holding space for history, endurance, and forward movement. Darkness is present, but hope is still on the horizon.
"Yellow represents hope, clarity, and warmth. It shows up when things feel heavy or dark, like a reminder that light is still present even if it’s small at first. When I paint with yellow, it’s my way of breaking through the darkness and letting healing in." - Giannelli Vargas
Purpose
Much of Gia’s creative evolution has been shaped by motherhood. Becoming a mother reframed how she sees herself and the world, deepening patience, sharpening responsibility, and reconnecting her to creativity as a form of trust rather than performance. Her work became a way to process emotion honestly, to protect her light, and to build something lasting. A sense of legacy, of creating for the present moment, and for what comes after.
"Watching my child grow, explore, and create reminded me to reconnect with my own creativity and trust it without fear...motherhood didn’t just inspire my work, it gave it purpose" - Giannelli Vargas
Gia does not rush toward resolution or aesthetic polish, her process is intentionally slow. She begins inward, sitting with feelings before allowing them to move into form. Texture remains visible, brushstrokes are not hidden, pieces like Always Me and Become Who You Are reflect this approach. Works that read as affirmations, grounded in self-acceptance that has been earned, her work feels lived-in, human.
"I sit with it first. I think about how it connects to my truth, my experiences, and my life. I don’t rush into creating. I let the emotion guide me and figure out how it wants to be expressed." - Giannelli Vargas
Vulnerability
For many years, Gia kept her work private, using art as a place of refuge, where honesty could exist without fear. Sharing publicly has been one of the most vulnerable steps in her journey, and it remains an ongoing practice of courage. Success, as she defines it, is not measured by scale or recognition, but by peace and alignment, by the ability to create truthfully without losing herself, while allowing the work to reach others in real ways.
Like many artists working outside traditional systems, Gia’s journey has included isolation, self-doubt, and limited access to professional art spaces. Without a strong network early on, she learned to rely on her inner guidance and faith to keep going. That inward anchoring continues to shape her work, offering steadiness as she steps more fully into visibility.
Community
Beyond the studio, Gia works as a Family Advocate within NYC public schools, bridging art, healing, and youth empowerment. This commitment to care, making people feel safe, seen, and supported, extends naturally into her creative work. Her art understands creativity as something that lives in relationship with others, and within ourselves.
"I want my work to remind others that their pain, emotions, and experiences matter. If someone can look at my art and feel comfort, understanding, or even a moment of peace, then it’s doing what it’s meant to do." - Giannelli Vargas
As she approaches a new chapter, turning 40 and setting her sights on a future solo exhibition, Gia is stepping further into visibility with intention. Upcoming gallery shows and continued exploration of growth, courage, and self-acceptance mark a period of expansion. If you are encountering Gia’s work for the first time, we invite you to spend time with it in the virtual gallery, on her website, and on the AOTM feature page.
What continues to stay with us about Gia’s work is its integrity, her practice trusts that meaning unfolds through sitting with what is present.
Learn More & Support Gianelli Vargas
Apply for the Artist of the Month Program
Submit Your Work for Where We Are Magazine
Get Involved & Join the Community!
About the Writer:
Phyllis DR Sanders explores humanity, creativity, and connection through art and technology mediums. She approaches life as an experiment, working across many disciplines to understand how people relate and create meaningful impact together. Motivated by a deep commitment to fostering care, she builds spaces that feel whole and safe to find yourself within.
As founder of Confluence Community, she is actively trying to cultivate a creative space that collaborates with care.
Comments