Paco G. Oria

Born in 1970. In 1988 he entered Estudio Peña in Madrid to prepare natural drawing and the entrance exam for the Faculty of Fine Arts at the Complutense University. After beginning his studies at the Complutense, a thirst for deeper theoretical knowledge led him to relocate to England. He pursued theoretical studies at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, focusing on Post-War and Contemporary Art. During his time in England he immersed himself in exploring the “why” and “what for” behind his own practice. He studied at Croydon College of Art and later at Central Saint Martins in London, where he came into direct contact with major figures such as Rachel Whiteread, Fiona Rae, Damien Hirst, and Anish Kapoor (during Kapoor’s printmaking period in a South London studio). While based in London he actively collaborated with the art criticism and commercial world, working in several prominent London galleries. He then returned to artistic practice, focusing on installations and happenings, and moved to Barcelona to study ephemeral art at Escola Massana. However, the overwhelming accumulation of influences and intense experiences caused him to lose his inner voice, leading to a deep crisis and impostor syndrome. A brief return to Mexico offered a pivotal encounter: he interviewed the legendary artist Leonora Carrington for Fondo de Cultura Económica de México. The unpublished interview remains in the Mexican cultural archives. Comparing his own emerging path with Carrington’s monumental career further challenged his confidence. At the beginning of the new century he discovered the digital world and the early internet boom. He participated in major .com projects and developed a successful career as a designer, working for prestigious consultancies and major brands. After the dot-com bubble burst, he returned to art — this time from a critical perspective — studying Art History with a special focus on European painting, particularly Flemish masters and Amedeo Modigliani. Following years of deep reflection, he has returned to creation with a clear, authentic, and confident voice, now exhibiting and sharing his personal body of work once again.