Maíllo

Understanding the pictorial practice as an engine of reflective and analytical thought in combination with writing and drawing, Maíllo uses a technique similar to that of collage in his canvases, where different figurative and abstract elements are related to each other over a white or subtly vaporous background .

Based on the intersection between the different relationships between the contemporary life and the the political, cultural and intimate aspects of it, in Maíllo’s works we find a strong presence of black lines made with oil markers that cross and condense the different compositional elements as a diagram or conceptual map, lines that translate and respond to the physiological reactions of the artist himself trying to address the complexity and pace of the contemporary world.

By means of an artistic process born from the frantic compulsion to draw non-stop to understand the present, Maíllo reworks and reinterprets images extracted from contemporary culture (cartoons, comics, video games or video clips), generating in turn a constant residue of ink on paper which is subsequently refined on a nightstand where, by means of tracing acting like a palimpsest, the complex definitive compositions of his works are completed.

The artist final act in front of the canvas overlaps different techniques from drippings and glazes, to baroque oil or acrylic grisailles, with superimposed spots of solid color varying from fluorescent to iridescent, previously digitally studied on his iPad, that try to achieve the feeling of virtual light color in works of diverse finishes and different bodies of work so retinally stimulating.

Maíllo (Madrid, 1985) has a degree in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid, represented in Spain by Ponce+Robles Gallery, he has participated in collective and solo exhibitions including “¡A Vueltas con la Maldita Pintura!”, Museo Colecciones ICO, curated by Juan Ugalde and “Raw Approach”, in the Centro de Arte de Alcobendas, curated by Tiago de Abreu Pinto. He has been mentioned in many publications, highlights of which include the books “2014/ Antes de irse. 40 ideas sobre la pintura” by David Barro and “Arte Contemporáneo Español 1992-2013” by Rafael Doctor Roncero. He has participated in different art fairs like ARCO and PARC, and has recently been selected by the collector Alberto Rebaza in “La Residencia de al Lado” in Perú. His works are also held in various public and private collections throughout Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Hong Kong, France, Switzerland and EEUU.