STATEMENT OF INTENT

My conceptual process is rooted in biographical representationalism—the convergence of lived experience, memory, and mimetic practice. I engage the tradition of mimesis not merely as imitation but as a philosophical inquiry into how reality, identity, and presence are visually constructed. Through orchestrated reference photography and compartmentalized patterning, my subject matter traverse’s personal memory, urban environments, and cultural invisibility. Drawing inspiration from my upbringing as the son of immigrants and my early experiences with graffiti, I strive to resist symbolic erasure, using imagery to affirm existence within societal structures that often seek to marginalize. My work acts as a visual memoir, layered with urban undertones, and questions how fiction and realism, personal and collective histories, intertwine to shape perception.

Technically, my practice is hybrid and rigorous, combining painting, drawing, and collage into dynamic surfaces that blur medium-specific boundaries. Utilizing thousands of reference photographs, I map compositions that integrate compartmentalized patterning, orchestration of media, and augmentation of form. My style oscillates between stylized realism and abstraction, creating atmospheres that are familiar yet fragmented. Having transitioned from the impermanence of graffiti to the enduring possibilities of fine art, my process is deeply informed by my background in traditional painting and my epiphanies regarding the conceptual potentials of mixed media. Each layer of material resists finality, allowing for a visual unpredictability that mirrors the flux of memory and lived experience.

Situated at the intersection of art history and contemporary practice, my work dialogues with the historical lineage of representational painting while embracing the pluralistic narratives of the twenty-first century. I draw from classical methodologies yet challenge them through a postmodern lens that acknowledges the fragmentary nature of identity and representation today. I integrate elements of photorealism, surrealism, and collage to explore the thresholds between personal narrative and collective consciousness. In an era dominated by mediated imagery and cultural erasure, my practice seeks to reaffirm the necessity of biographical presence, embodying the enduring truth that without representation, there is symbolic annihilation.