Born in Singapore, and raised in Houston, TX, I’m a Colombian-American creating paintings that render chaotic dreamscapes filled with figures either seeking quietude, or actively revolting against it. For a long time I've been interested in understanding the binary thinking of people that live within strong conformist systems, such as those that propagate traditional gender roles, spiritual tenets, or military discipline. Growing up a middle-class boy in Texas, the insecurity of being judged as not masculine, or coming across as not in total command of one’s own emotions, was persistent. The concepts of ‘ideal masculinity’ vs. ‘ideal femininity’ developed into an ever-present, ever-shifting topic in my mind, as it seemed to endlessly influence the behavior of myself and others. The contradictory and impossible nature of these ideal concepts of gender, which apply similarly to religious idealism or patriotic jingoism, don’t seem to affect our devotion to them, and my paintings similarly represent a devotion to and suspicion of the very inflexible forms of expression that surrounded me as I grew. My goal is to envision a seductive world where these strict ways of living can be observed and an association with violence or self-destruction is either explicit or never too far away.
A bit more about me: I received my BFA in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2013 and then my MFA soon after from the New York Academy of art. During undergrad I spent an influential year in Japan studying printmaking and the Japanese language, and later upon finishing my MFA I spent another year attending artist residencies in Spain, Germany, Russia, and here in the United States. Afterward, I moved to Brooklyn to work as an assistant for Sean Kenny, an artist who creates immersive sculptures out of LEGO bricks. When he moved his studio to Amsterdam I stayed in Brooklyn to begin working in earnest as an independent artist - creating my own work, commissioned work, and occasionally helping the artist Nir Hod in the creation of photorealistic floral paintings. In 2023 I moved to Seattle to live closer to family and to the many beautiful mountain ranges in the PNW.