Alea Hurst is an Atlanta-based artist who produces drawings and paintings ranging from traditional to experimental. She received her BFA from the University of Georgia in 2013 and is currently pursuing her MFA at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Her body of work explores the role of the mask, reversing its traditional purpose. Instead of concealing, the masks in her paintings reveal information, becoming representative of the wearer’s soul or personality. Each piece hints at an inner strength or flaw, making once-secret traits the focus of the portrait.

Drawing influence from the idea of eyes as "windows to the soul," she leaves the eyes in her portraits open to the fabric, as if the viewer can peer straight into it. They are empty because the subject's innermost being is on public display, with nothing left to hide.