Today we’d like to introduce you to Alvaro Alvarez
Hi Alvaro, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Happy to share! I started drawing buildings even before I knew what the word “architecture” meant. Since childhood in Tijuana, I’ve loved exploring spaces and also creating some new ones myself on paper. This curiosity has accompanied me throughout my college years, young-professional life, and now as a full-time artist. I studied architecture at Cornell University; this experience was phenomenal – learning so much about spatial theory in Ithaca, New York and Western Europe, while concentrating on neuroscience’s effects on architectural design and vice-versa. Immediately after graduating in 2015, I started as a designer in New York City, where I worked for another five years on two very special architectural projects. I was responsible for the interior architecture of the 15 Hudson Yards tower in Manhattan – I always dreamed of working on a skyscraper ever since I was a kid – and as project lead of an EDITION hotel in the Riviera Maya. Having completed these projects, at significant health expense, I moved back home to San Diego, California so I could be with my family and recharge before my next undertaking. After working on my mental and spiritual health, with the help from my mother, God, and therapy, I decided to apply my creativity towards art; or what I would describe as “architectural art” when I founded my studio in 2020. I enrolled in some courses at our wonderful local colleges, including UCSD and SWCC, and later I obtained my Certification in World Art History from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC (online). These past few years, I have had the blessing of sharing my artwork with our San Diego community, as well as in Tijuana, all while connecting with collectors in New York City. Today I create artwork out of my San Ysidro, CA studio, where I am close to our wonderful border, and my dear family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My journey has definitely been a non-linear road, and at times very challenging. Most of the struggles came from within my own mind, with difficult thoughts and unattended feelings. I have been fortunate to have the support from my family – especially my mother, mostly in the form of time and space to create what I love and what brings me joy. Even with these blessings, my mind would unfortunately default to high-expectations of myself, putting tremendous pressure on me and causing me to over-think, over-worry, and over-do, resulting in physical fatigue that only worsens my health. I admit this after getting up from many falls. I’ve come to accept that these happenings are part of my existence – but I’ve had to learn a lot along the way: such as letting others help me, to listen to my body and feelings, as well as use my virtues, like patience, strong-will, and sensibility, in my favor to overcome obstacles as they happen. Today I am the most healthy and happiest version of myself and I owe a lot of that to my loved ones. As far as technical work struggles, early on I realized I still needed to learn more about art as a profession, and how to streamline my skills so I could create the work I wanted. Joining local art groups and taking classes (even online) was extremely helpful in overcoming these work challenges.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a visual artist, and I create ink paintings, graphite drawings, and two-dimensional sculptures – the reason I am an “Architectural Artist” is because architecture is my most significant inspiration, and I use art as a story-telling device to narrate images. Many of my stories are significantly influenced by my experiences here in San Diego and Tijuana as I am very interested in the flow of people, products, and energies across the US-Mexico border.
A lot of my work is in black and white, meaning my art is often identified for its textures, shadows, depth, and spatial-relationships. I am very proud of my artwork because of how much time, thought, and effort I put towards it. Most of my paintings are highly detailed with brushstrokes, so they end up taking a lot of time to create. This is the case with my series, “Imperfect Boundaries,” in which I painted with calligraphy ink over 150 lb paper pieces, creating pure geometric compositions filled with small dense ink-marks that assemble the larger whole, in a form of gestalt. This speaks to both my identity and that of my surrounding context, as we are all created by smaller pieces that assemble a larger image, which we then understand as ourselves. This series has been exhibited at PHES Gallery in Carlsbad (2022), at the Oceanside Museum of Art (Anniversary Auction, 2022), the San Diego International Airport as part of their “A Necessary Departure” group exhibition (2022-2023), and abroad at NATIV’A (2023) and IMAC (2024), both in Tijuana, Mexico.
I am also very proud of my most recent endeavor, “46 Renacimientos,” which in Spanish means 46 Revivals in the literal definition of rebirth. For this project, I created 46 sculptures ranging in dimensions from 12” x 12” all the way up to 36”x42” in scale, each representing an altar to dead architecture. This project is very dear to me because, though no one asked me to do it, I found it important to convey it’s story. This artistic effort is about a phenomena happening now in the Baja California coast, where huge buildings which were previously abandoned for more than 15 years are now coming back to life, waking up from an architectural purgatory. This spiritual tale, which I narrate using art, shares the resilience of the COCOTREN, also known as the Coastal Corridor of Tijuana, Rosarito, and Ensenada – extending over 90 miles south of San Diego, California’s border all the way down to Punta Brava in Mexico. This 2024, the “46 Renacimientos” sculptures will be on display again for one day only in South San Diego; their first international appearance outside of Mexico. Everyone is invited on Saturday November 2nd, 2024 for a Day of the Dead ceremony in San Ysidro, CA and to be a part of this very important architectural rebirth.
What sets me and my work apart is my thoroughness and will-power. I love what I do and I am very grateful to all of those who have helped me share it with the world. Without them it wouldn’t be possible. For more details on the 46 Renacimientos project and upcoming show, please visit 46Revivals.com.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Some of my favorite podcasts include “The Front Arte & Cultura,” “WHERING: A Podcast About Belonging and Design,” “Founders,” “Pláticas Constructivas,” and “Port of Entry” – their conversations stimulate my mind and help me connect with my community. I’m also guilty of falling into the Wikipedia black hole every now and then: looking up something I’m curious about and ending up 20 links in on random pages haha. More so than music, I have to admit, that while I am actually creating art – whether it be drawing, painting, or sculpting – by default I’m listening to scary stories: “Relatos de la Noche” in Spanish (podcast), and “Mr. Nightmare” in English (narrated videos online). I love learning about what other artists are creating, and for that I follow many of them on Instagram, as well as via the Yellow Trace website blog. Books! I can’t get enough of them; it’s one of my healthiest impulse-purchases even though I am a very slow reader. I really enjoyed “Daily Rituals” by Mason Currey, “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh, and “The Man from Taured” by Bryan Alaspa. I’m currently reading “Creativity Inc” by Ed Catmull, “Sounds” by Kandinsky (his poems) and Avelina Lésper’s very interesting “El Fraude del Arte Contemporaneo,” which roughly translates to “Contemporary Art’s Fraud” in English. As far as phone apps go, I think the one I use the most is the “Notes” app – it’s versatility helps me organize and download my thoughts quickly.
Pricing:
- My pieces range in price. It depends on the scale and detail-intricacy. I tend to create different types of work though, allowing for different appreciators of art to acquire and connect with my pieces while staying within their budget.
- $500.00 USD
- $1,000.00 USD
- $2,500.00 USD
- $5,000.00 USD
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alvaroaalvarez.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ART_ALVAROALVAREZ/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtAlvaroAlvarez
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@artalvaroalvarez
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@art_alvaroalvarez
Image Credits
Michelle Godoy El Gran Rex
Alan Fonseca Bertfor
