“ZONA DE CONFORT” EN EL INSTITUTO DE SUBCULTURA SANTURCE, PUERTO RICO

Gabriel “Gloso” Nieto (b. 1990, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican artist whose journey began with graffiti, a medium that taught him to embrace spontaneity in the creative process. His passion for refining his technique led him to study classical oil painting at the Escuela de Artes Plásticas in San Juan, influenced by his grandfather, Rosendo Nieto, who instilled in him a deep appreciation for light, shadow, and storytelling. Moving to New York, he became a muralist for Colossal Media, mastering large-scale compositions and honing his understanding of color, anatomy, and visual narrative. As his murals expanded, so did his introspection, leading him to explore surrealism and the complexities of the human figure—both idealized and demonized. His work delves into transformation, identity, and the balance between nostalgia and change, using the human body as a vessel for emotional and psychological exploration. He embraces vulnerability as a catalyst for growth, turning discomfort into strength. His figures, marked by unnatural hues, exist in a liminal space—detached yet deeply human. Inspired by artists like Munch, Vermeer, Dalí, Bacon, and Magritte, Nieto’s work pushes the boundaries of figurative painting, seeking a new aesthetic frontier where the intimate and subconscious converge.