Paintings ‘23 - ‘24
Anxiety Attack
Oil on Canvas
67” by 65”
Gem Handler
Oil on Canvas
18” by 24”
Time Delayed
Oil on Canvas
24” by 18”
Clock Wizard
Oil on Wood Panel
14” by 11”
Untitled
Oil on Wood Panel
14” by 14”
Untitled
36” by 28”
Oil on Canvas
Untitled
Oil on Wood Panel
12” by 12”
The Mythic Star and The Offering
Oil on Canvas
72” by 80”
Lunar Flower in The Snake Pit
Oil on Canvas
14” by 11”
The Midnight Castle
Oil on Wood Panel
14” by 11”
Untitled
Oil on Canvas
24” by 18”
A Room Filled with Paranoia
Oil on Canvas
60” by 65”
Untitled
Oil on Canvas
36” by 28”
The Sword That Bites
Oil on Canvas
12” by 12”
Drawings ‘23 - ‘24
Untitled
Graphite on Japanese Paper
28” by 14”
A Side Quest Of The Magical Gemstone Of True Knowledge
Graphite on Cotton Paper
36” by 28”
The Forbidden Meeting
Graphite on Cotton Paper
36” by 28”
Artist Statement
The body of work explores the past and the present while analyzing the roots of displacement within my ancestry. It is a search for faith and certainty through the upbringings in cultures and religions. Coming from a family of Latin immigrants, I am inspired by the rich storytelling, heavy imagery, and manipulation of truth and delusion. Motivated by curiosity, I am pulling apart my ideologies of religion through fantastical narratives and utopias to form my mythology.
As a first-generational artist navigating a new landscape, the work criticizes the journey of childhood displacement between homes, cities, religion, and anxiety pressures in search of peace of mind. Christianity and Catholicism caused shifts within my family's harmony as I began to see the erasure of the culture and traditions I once valued. Now left with cultural bits, half-truths, and memories, I seek to captivate a body of work that links moments of magic and the interest in escaping reality for a pleasurable quest.
The inspiration behind the narrative is derived from 2D animation, and early 2000s video games as they exist as an archive of nostalgic snapshots. I utilize art to capture the aesthetics of objects and moments that recreate intimate memories and whimsical pleasures. I strive to restore legends by illustrating the adversities of my family’s immigration. The body of work is a multiversal experience where stories passed down from family are not always true but from personal experiences. These conversations with my family allow for my creativity to replicate nightmares and fantasies so I can further explore these truths in my body of art.
From family nostalgia and upbringings in religion, I link the experiences between faith, magic, and world-building. These are the ideas that I aim to further in my artwork while allowing intricate emotions and perspectives to resurface for the audience's imagination. Like a cliffhanger, I want my audience to interpret their ending within my mythological world while I am chasing a consistent pursuit of peace from anxiety.
CV
B. 1996 in Santa Clara, CA, USA
Works and lives in Los Angeles, CA, USA
Education
BA, Arts, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 2020
MFA, Arts, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 2023-2025
Solo Exhibitions
2025
Midnight Fantasies, Roski Graduate Building, Los Angeles, CA
Wizard Hours, OCC Frank M. Doyle Arts Pavilion, Costa Mesa, CA
2020
Elias Hernandez Drawings, Little Gallery (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA
2019
Chicano Mad Man, Sculpture Gallery (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA
Two Person Show
2024
Bad Fellas, Moth Belly Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
I Want Your Skull, Trophy Room LA, Los Angeles, CA
All Things Equal, Good Mother Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2023
Online Exhibition, The Trophy Room LA, Los Angeles, CA
2022
Fundraiser Auction, Moth Belly Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Inaugural Exhibit, Mini Mart, San Francisco, CA
Playa De Skid Row, Shit Art Club, Los Angeles, CA
Crimson Tide, Soft Times Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Serendipity, The Rah Gallery, Mayfair, London
Everything But The Kitchen Sink, La Luz De Jesus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Offline Exhibition, Tinimini Room Gallery, Blekersdijk, Netherlands
Small Works, Soft Times Gallery, San Francisco, CA
You Can Alter Your Algorithm If You Want To, Goodyear Arts Gallery, Charlotte, NC
2020
Undergraduate Juried Art Show, The New Wight Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2019
Hillel Student Fine Art Show, Hillel at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Awards and Honors
2019
Aubrey Penny Scholarship, University of California Los Angeles, CA
Selected Publications
2022
New American Painting, issue #163, Pacific Coast, Selected by Jenny Gheith, (Print)
Moth Belly Gallery Artist Interview, San Francisco, CA
Soft Times Quarterly - Volume 2 (Momentum) Catalog, Soft Times Gallery, San Francisco, CA, (Print)
Over Standard Magazine Article Interview, Copenhagen, Denmark,
2024
Moth Belly Magazine - Volume 3, Moth Belly Gallery, San Francisco, CA (Print)