BIOGRAPHY
Donovan De Los Reyes is an Art + Tech artist who lives and works in Morton Grove, IL. He mainly focused on digital art, which he learned from using the Blender and Photoshop program as a hobby in 2020. Using those software, he creates digital models and digital art. In 2026, an exhibition that he was part of was called “Afar to a Distant Future”, which was displayed at the Ronald Williams Library in Northeastern Illinois University. The exhibition displayed many 3d printed bust sculptures that were designed after many outfits throughout history, while utilizing LEDs. In 2026, he will receive his Bachelor's Degree in Studio Art from Northeastern Illinois University.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I create 2D and 3D digital works that take inspirations from digital culture, fictional series, and history. I am inspired by artists like Francisco Goya and Goichi Suda, who both used their work to comment on the world around them through subtle satiation and dramatization. I explore how the media reflects social issues such as power, conflict, and technology. I am especially influenced by science fiction series like Gundam, which explores themes of war and political struggle. Specifically showing the brutality of war, how people are affected by it, and how others are prone to have selfish motivations for it. By reworking ideas from the media I grew up with, I create images that feel familiar but also encourage the viewers to think more deeply about the messages behind the media they consume, through both subtle satiation and dramatization.
My digital process, working in photoshop and blender, combines collage, remix strategies, and 3D modeling to construct three-dimensional models. Using and manipulating imagery reflects the way digital culture is constantly changing and being reshaped. I shift between constructed realism and images of the past/future, emphasizing the tension between fiction and contemporary imagery by constructing 3D models and images. Through this process, the way I make work reflects how the media shapes the way we see and understand the world. One example of current events in today's world is AI, where people and corporations are now trying to find ways of incorporating into their lives through automated processes of business and productivity that could save them time and money. My art differs in the way where it displays a statement that people examine and analyze the purpose and meaning behind the various design choices I made.