Bio

Robert Inestroza (b. 1966, New York City) is a contemporary painter and sculptor based in Nîmes in southern France.  Robert pursued his studies at Emily Carr University, Vancouver and Art Students League, NYC. His subtlety surreal figurative painting and sculpture explore the complexities of contemporary culture. Following a career in fashion design, his practice naturally examines social issues of consumerism, the digital world, identity, intimacy, vanity, technology, civil unrest, and transformation. Working primarily with oil and media, including resin, sand, and repurposed materials, he creates surreal figurative works that interrogate themes of identity, social facades, and the human condition in the digital age. His practice merges classical techniques with modern disruptions, characterized by layered impasto surfaces and conceptual juxtapositions of fragility and strength.
His work examines dynamics through sardonic narratives and fragmented daydreams, often employing digital tools alongside traditional media. Notable series include the Paris Metro collection (2022-2024), which documents urban interactions through a contemporary flâneur's lens, and Cassandra Complex (2024-present), a darkly humorous critique of modern socio-political issues using restrained colour palettes and digital aesthetic elements. His sculptural practice explores organic forms in clay, resin, and marble.
Robert Inestroza has exhibited at Paris's Salon d'Automne (2024) and Brighton's SEAS Gallery (2023), with works featured in Art Fluent Gallery's international exhibitions (2021-2023) His practice gained recognition through finalist placements in the Prisma Art Prize (2021, 2022) and inclusion in the Quay Street Gallery Exhibition Catalogue (2021)34. Current representation includes Singulart, with works held in private collections across Europe and North America.

​

Artist Statement
My practice draws on historical, personal, and contemporary culture to explore identity through the prism of the digital age on our collective human condition.  I fuse digital tools with experimental painting techniques to explore themes of identity, social issues and consumerism. Inspired by art history, contemporary culture and fashion, I create timeless, modern, and contemplative works, where these fields interplay to explore and critique modern societal issues.
My work is characterized by a subtle colour palette, and varied application, capturing a moment of fleeting grace or volatile energy. I use layered techniques, digital disruption motifs, and various methods to create a paradox within the work, fusing chaos versus order, fragility versus strength, or ephemeral versus eternal. I believe this reflects the complexities and contradictions of human nature and what connects us all, regardless of power, politics, or status.