ARTIST(A)

Alvaro Alvarez is a binational architectural artist based in San Ysidro, California. He works primarily with ink, paper, and abandoned or unfinished materials, turning them into visual stories that explore place, identity, and rebirth. His practice combines architectural representation, memory, and the narratives of the San Diego - Tijuana border.

Alvarez studied architecture at Cornell University and spent years designing major projects such as the 15 Hudson Yards tower in New York City and the Kanai EDITION Hotel in Riviera Maya. This background in hospitality storytelling, urban form, and spatial psychology shapes both the structural precision and emotional resonance of his artwork, influenced significantly by his time studying under San Diego artist Pia Stern.

His work has been exhibited at the San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park’s World Design Capital Pavilion, the Oceanside Museum of Art, the San Diego International Airport, the Tijuana Triennial at CECUT, the Baja California State Museum CEART Rosarito, Vórtice Gallery, PHES Gallery, the Tijuana City Museum (IMAC), and BLK BOX Gallery.

Alvarez’s work spans imagined structures, abstract forms, portraits, and sculpture, all united by a deep connection to architecture, not only as form but as a theme that shapes how people feel, remember, and perceive the world around them. His recent projects include “Imperfect Boundaries,” which explores the physical and psychological limits of the Tijuana - San Diego border; “46 Renacimientos,” forty-six textural paper sculptures of abandoned Baja California buildings; “AbandonmenTissues,” which transforms discarded regional materials into new visual meaning; and his current series, “Architectural Stories,” which includes detailed drawings and paintings imagining alternative built environments.

Currently, Alvarez continues creating artwork and actively participates in the creative community of the border region. He directs the Art and Architecture Council at the Bustamante Business Center and serves as Arts & Culture Director for San Diego - Tijuana Sister Cities International.