I was born in Boston in 1979, brought up in a multi-cultural background, drawing steadily since I can remember. After university, where I studied economics and urban planning, it was street art and the public realm of cities where I became a student. I moved to Barcelona and then Hong Kong to continue studies and creative work at the intersection of urban design and political economy. In 2008 I moved to New York City, where an ex-boss suggested I be true to creative callings and visions - “if you have to go into the jungle and write books, do it.”
Following his advice I gifted myself “the year of the artist”, moving into a low rent industrial space, enrolling in the Art Students League and visiting the museums and libraries, taking out books to study and paint alongside throughout the nights. At 30 years old, I can remember my first attempts at painting. “Your drawings and photography are much better” said my teacher, Hugo Bastidias at the ASL. But eventually, I was able to squeak out a living from my artwork. First selling them on the streets in Union Square, and then slowly showing in exhibitions-learning how to hustle.
After having a basic understanding and command over the creative process and visual storytelling, I began Artefacting. An idea of applying a creative practice intentionally to apply to a social challenge and situation - first case to tell a story, multi-dimensionally, of a dynamic informal recycling “slum” in Bombay at risk of demolition/expropriation by contemporary urbanization. It turned into a practice that would give light to another 20 more collective projects before culminating and terminating with Nueva Patria/Lugar Comun in Oaxaca Mexico in 2017.
In 2017 I created another practice - a market-based fair-trade project called Rezpiral, working with autonomous campesino mezcaleros of Oaxaca Mexico, and their mezcales, designing, presenting, and navigating the commercialization of such artisanal products through sale and distribution in major US markets.
Now in 2023 begins another art practice.