I feel that everything from my childhood in Colombia – the popular art, the love letters that were given as gifts in the 90s, the song dedications, the merengue – has made my work focus on a more ‘romantic’ theme… But in a deeper way than simply having a partner, it’s also about being able to give love to your friends and the world around you, not just something aesthetic.
Through DIY projects, detective novels, and traditional tattooing as references, I highlight the romanticism in the everyday, exalting the feeling of something intimate and expansive through “rituals” that musically accompany the everyday and the political, the energetic and the diverse. I create analog and digital illustrations, hand-poked tattoos, and upcycled clothing.
I started drawing at age 7, tracing Simpsons drawings and cartoons I saw in magazines and books at the library. This led me to a more serious exploration of graphic art through traditional tattooing, primarily using watercolors and acrylics.
Over time, I began painting canvases using mixed media (spray paint, gouache, acrylics, irezumi ink, and markers). Lately, I’ve been painting on clothes I make myself and, sometimes, altering secondhand clothing. I also paint on ceramics.
I don’t have a defined ‘style’; I could say it’s the result of all the cartoons, books, and movies I watched as a child, since my artwork is inspired by detective novels, Westerns, traditional tattoos, documentaries, highlighting eroticism, and the animated. I also draw inspiration from stories my grandfather told me when he lived in the countryside. I loved to fantasize and imagine the places where he lived and the people he shared his life with. This led me to create portraits of people I imagined, using poses from detective novel covers as references, and primarily using the colors of architecture and fruits found in the city (Bogotá) and the rest of the country.
My first tattoo was at 17, in the traditional style. I like it because the designs are solid and, in a very simple way, convey something complex. From these influences, I began to explore ‘Tebori’, a Japanese technique that doesn’t use any machinery, as it’s less damaging to the skin because it’s a more delicate process. It allows for much faster healing, and over time the shapes and colors become more solid.
For this reason, I gravitated towards handpoke, a technique where everything is done by hand, which I combine with traditional tattoo art and popular graphic design. I started learning on my own, and when I moved to Mexico City, I began an apprenticeship at a traditional tattoo studio (True Warriors) to learn how to use a coil machine. Although I haven’t used it yet, and my apprenticeship is currently on hold, it has helped me gain a better understanding of how to interpret designs (flashes) on the body. My main goal is to combine machine and hand-poke techniques to create different textures and results during the tattoo healing process.
In 2014, I moved to New York after graduating from university. Honestly, it was very spontaneous. I didn’t have any plans in mind and I was just going with the flow. I was there for six years until COVID hit, and because of immigration issues, I had to return to Colombia, but the airport was still closed. So I had to come up with a plan B: go to Mexico for 15 days… That turned into five years <haha>.
During my years in New York, it was a bit challenging due to the culture shock: the people’s temperament and the fast pace of life. In that process of adapting, I met people from all over Latin America, and we built a small community where we would get together to paint, cook, go for walks, and above all, share the warmth that we as Latinxs carry in our hearts.
When I decided to stay in Mexico City, it was mainly as a challenge for me and a chance to start making a living from what I love, which is my graphic design, merch and tattooing.
What have you found in common (or not) with those who interact with your art?
A lot of intimacy, personal stories, genuine feelings, and tales of love and heartbreak. It’s funny because I used to be a bartender when I lived in New York, and I developed a knack for talking to people, no matter who they were. So I feel like the same thing happens when I go to fairs. I think that’s the beautiful thing, beyond selling or tattooing, being able to make new friends and have people connect with what I do.
I want to focus on solo and group exhibitions, as well as more pop-up shows. I feel it’s the next step in how I want to express myself as an artist, beyond selling or creating merchandise, because it’s about experimenting and reflecting the cultural, political, and emotional through memories captured in a painting.
So far, I’ve done very few collaborations, but these are the ones I’ve enjoyed the most:
- Rock y Amistad (CDMX) – Risograph
- Herida Negra (Monterrey) – Drawing
- Taller de Impresiciones (Tijuana) – Risograph Books
- Fisch3r888 (Bogotá) – Comics
- Fueg.ooo (Bogotá) – Illustration, T-shirts
- Dead Relatives (LA) – Illustration
- Diy.na.mi.ta (CDMX) – Tattoos
I feel like lately people have been doing things just for fame, and not because it comes from the heart… I’ve always created through DIY, bartering, and collaborations. I don’t like creating just to be seen or to sell; I try to generate and create everything with purpose and meaning.
-Corazón Maleante x Dead Relatives.
