Meet Hiro Medina, March’s featured artist
As part of our ongoing 40th anniversary celebrations, we are featuring a different CE artist and logo every month of 2023! Read more about our 40th anniversary and our featured artists ▸
Hiro Medina photographed by his mom Akiko.
On a Thursday afternoon in the studio, the ever topical Hiro works on a drawing exploring the controversy around AI art. His drawing, complete with two robot pirates and a palette of brains, addresses the issue of companies profiting off the piracy of original art.
“If we are going to survive and thrive in this world, we have to think about what AI art cannot do,” he says.
According to Hiro, this is his first piece specifically addressing a contemporary socio-political issue, but he is no stranger to world-building.
With thick lines, pastel colors and precise shading, CE artist Hiro Medina transports viewers to a fantastical world through his spellbinding depictions of landscapes, characters, and futuristic themes. Hiro’s graphite illustrations call to mind an alternative steampunk universe, often featuring birds (his favorite motif), machines, or strange contraptions.
“I aim to make my art different from a product of AI. I’ve been trying to give more meaning and detail,” he says. “It’s no longer viable for art to simply look good.”
“I aim to make my art different from a product of AI. I’ve been trying to give more meaning and detail.”
A drawing by Hiro Medina.
Hiro primarily uses pencils and watercolors to create his otherworldly, sci-fi and fantasy-inspired figures and worlds. His fully fleshed-out characters (Nyota, Amon, Kazu the Avali) recur in different scenes, reflective of the internal logic of his imaginary universe.
What strikes Studio Manager Eric Larson about Hiro’s work is the “immediacy of his vision, the pantheon of characters that flow out of him, these scenes from a future that seem to touch on reality but also imagine a new world.” He adds that the wealth of source material that Hiro’s work engages with, and the depth of his engagement, is on another level from other artists: “a lot of others might have animation or video game characters that pop up in their work, but Hiro makes it all his own.”
Hiro moved from Atlanta when he was very young, bouncing around before settling in San Francisco. He’s been an artist at CE since 2021, and enjoys working in the studio because of his access to all sorts of materials and mediums to experiment with. While he used to primarily draw on his tablet, he has developed a practice in graphite in the studio, the age-old medium creating a fascinating contrast with his often industrial imagery.
His goals for the future, other than “clout and money,” include exploring digital art on a tablet, improving his craft, and continuing to expand his brand publicly. In his free time, you can find Hiro playing video games, watching anime, and bantering on social media.
A conversation with Hiro reveals a thoughtful, intentional artist who clearly spends much time thinking deeply about issues facing the world and developing inventive solutions. His process is direct and immediate: “an image emerges in his mind, or he begins to draw shapes, and before you know it, there’s a full-fledged narrative happening in his work,” says Eric. Hiro holds an ability that many artists crave; the imagination to think up never-before-seen places, and the skill to visually bring them to life.
A drawing by Hiro Medina.
One of Hiro’s works is featured in Library Card by Creativity Explored, an exhibition of thirty works at the SF Public Library. Visitors can see multiple pieces of CE art and vote on their favorite to be turned into an SFPL library card in 2023.
Learn more about Hiro through his DeviantArt or Twitter!