Mattel Creations Past Drops - UNO x Nina Chanel Abney

Every card,
a Piece of Art

Every card,
a Piece of Art

Every card,
a Piece of Art

Every card,
a Piece of Art

This very, very special UNO set has been completely reimagined by Nina, authentically capturing her bright, energetic and eclectic style. It even has a few special plays imagined by Nina herself. From its unexpected packaging to the hand drawn numbers and letters on every card, this is truly playable art.

Thining Beyond the Deck

The UNO Artiste: Nina Chanel Abney deck was created in collaboration with Pharrell’s Black Ambition (Black Ambition Opportunity, Inc.), a non-profit organization that will provide a bridge to success for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who are launching tech, design, healthcare, and consumer products/services start-ups. As a part of this partnership, Mattel will be providing a financial donation to Black Ambition in support of the initiatives’ efforts.

We captured their killer style, from their pin-tucked blue dresses to their infamous axe barrettes, and hedge maze mary-jane shoes. Their hauntingly boo-tiful and unique facial expressions are to die for.

MEET NINA CHANEL ABNEY

Nina Chanel Abney is a Chicago- born artist whose paintings capture the frenetic pace of contemporary culture. Broaching subjects as diverse as race, celebrity, religion, politics, sex, and art history, her works eschew linear storytelling in lieu of disjointed narratives. The effect is information overload, balanced with a kind of spontaneous order, where time and space are compressed and identity is interchangeable.

Explain Your Connection to UNO

“UNO is probably the game that I have played the most during my life. It’s extremely fun to play with a group, but I also like that you can play against one person as well. What I enjoy most about UNO is that it is extremely easy to learn how to play. Anyone can pretty much pick up the game immediately.”

Q & A with Nina Chanel Abney


How would you describe your artistic style?

“A bold, colorful composition of figuration and abstraction.”

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

“I really can find inspiration anywhere, but most of my ideas tend to get sparked when I am engaging with worldwide social issues, pop culture, the overload of information we take in on a daily basis, music, symbology and the frenetic space of social media.”

What was your initial reaction to a collaboration with UNO?

“Shock and excitement. I play UNO all of the time with my friends. It’s my go to for every game night. I love how UNO has been completely co-opted and many create their own house rules. UNO allows for many interpretations and for that reason alone, it’s by far one of my favorite games.

The UNO Artiste series thus far has featured the artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. What does it mean to you to be the first living artist and to have your original artwork featured in the same Series as these legendary artists?

What inspired your work on the UNO artiste deck?

“People inspired the work on the UNO Artiste deck. I wanted the cards to have personality. UNO can be such an emotional game, I thought it would be fun to create cards that could speak for themselves and elicit even more of a response from the players than they already are. I typically try to create work that can start a conversation, and I wanted to take the same approach to the UNO project.”