About Sergio Aranda

Sergio Aranda: An Artistic Journey Through Decay and Renewal

I'm Sergio Aranda, a Spanish artist with roots in Switzerland, born in 1971. My journey has taken me through cities like Geneva, Barcelona, Paris, and finally to Madrid, my home today. Each of these places has profoundly influenced my work, shaping the way I express myself through art.

As a visual artist, and also a jewelry designer and certified diamond expert, I’m drawn to the beauty of what is aged, worn, and raw. This fascination with "Urbex decay"—capturing the allure of corroded and timeworn surfaces—runs deep in my creative process. My art embraces textured, layered surfaces that seem to tell stories of their own, often evoking the feel of old industrial structures.

Eternal Impermanence: The Meeting of Rust and Gold

In my work, I often mix rust with gold shadows—a combination that reflects my interest in duality and transformation. Rust, with its natural, earthy texture, speaks of age, decay, and a world transformed by time. Meanwhile, gold represents light, refinement, and a sense of timelessness. Together, these materials embody the balance between decline and renewal, a central theme in my art.

For me, rust and gold are symbolic: rust captures the rawness of life’s impermanent nature, while gold brings a touch of luminosity, hinting at resilience and beauty amid decay. Blending these elements lets me evoke a story of contrast and harmony, of how the past and present coexist in layers. This meeting of opposites adds depth and invites contemplation on the passing of time, on beauty as something that evolves and transforms.

A Wabi-Sabi Inspiration

Influenced by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, which celebrates imperfection and the beauty of the natural world, my art explores these themes through minimalist compositions with a distinctly organic feel. I work with materials like sawdust to create textured layers, grounding each piece in a sense of earthiness and introspection. By incorporating rust and gold, my paintings evoke a quiet yet powerful reflection on change, decay, and renewal.

Through my work, I seek to challenge traditional notions of beauty, inviting viewers to see the elegance in materials that are both aged and refined. This approach not only reflects my view on art as a journey but also serves as a bridge between the ephemeral and the eternal—a reminder that beauty can emerge from unexpected places and that art, like life, is ever-evolving.