About Sergio Aranda

I am Sergio Aranda, a Spanish visual artist born in Switzerland and based in Barcelona. My life has moved through cities such as Geneva, Madrid, and Paris—places whose architecture, textures, and layered histories have deeply shaped the way I see and work.

My practice centers on the exploration of material surfaces and the traces that time leaves on them. I am drawn to weathered walls, oxidized metals, and architectural fragments marked by years of transformation. These surfaces contain a quiet record of time, memory, and human presence.

Through layered mixed-media processes—scraping, abrasion, and the gradual accumulation of materials—I build paintings that evolve through cycles of construction and erosion. Layers are applied, removed, and reworked repeatedly, allowing the surface to develop its own internal history. The works often feel less constructed than uncovered, as if fragments had slowly emerged from within the material itself.

Within these layers, traces of ornamental patterns sometimes appear—fluid motifs that echo the organic sensibility of Art Nouveau or the dense decorative intensity of the Baroque. These elements are never fully preserved; they emerge partially, interrupted or eroded, becoming subtle residues embedded within the surface.

The Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi has also influenced my approach to material and process. The idea that beauty can exist within imperfection, impermanence, and transformation resonates strongly with the way my paintings develop over time.

Occasionally, gold appears beside darkened or oxidized surfaces, creating a quiet dialogue between luminosity and corrosion, refinement and decay. These contrasts reflect the fragile balance between creation and deterioration that exists both in the built environment and in human experience.

Through these layered surfaces, I explore how time, matter, and gesture accumulate into something that feels both fragile and enduring.