BOXHEAD, THE STORY.
the beginning
It was 2009. I had just left Amsterdam and I was at my parents’ house back in Spain, heartbroken after a failed relationship and all the plans that came with it.
The memories of growing up there, the good and the bad, and the feelings attached to that house surrounded me, poking at me like flies on a window.
One night in bed, as I was about to fall asleep, I envisioned a little girl in a white dress running… with a cardboard box on her head.
I quickly got out of bed and made some half-asleep sketches in my book.
The morning after, I continued evolving the character. I gave her a name, and Boxhead was born.
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember, but there was something in this little character that resonated with me more than anything I had ever done before.
It was a time when I knew I had to leave, I had to escape.
But I also understood that no matter how far or how fast I went, I would always carry certain things with me. That part of myself that no one will ever know — my deepest thoughts, the deepest “me”.
Something that would stay with me, tucked away, contained in a box.
Since that day, Boxhead became the centre of my art practice.
What followed was a journey of getting her out into the world.
Getting Boxhead into the world.
After a while, I moved back to Amsterdam. I joined some friends in the street art scene and started getting Boxhead out into the world — first with stickers and posters, and eventually picking up the cans and painting murals around town.
Canvas work came after, and I had my first solo show at the cult art-toy gallery-store Outland.
Slowly, Boxhead started getting recognised. People began collecting my work, and I took part in more shows, festivals and events.
LONDON AND EXPANSION
Eventually, I felt the need for a change and moved to London, my home since 2012.
In London, I met incredible artists and became part of the street art scene. I painted large-scale murals, exhibited, collaborated, and worked on commissions.
Soon after, I was picked up by Moniker Projects. My installation We Are All Boxhead in their 2014 exhibition allowed me, for the first time, to experiment with digital mediums. I used live rendering to immerse visitors in Boxhead’s world.
New York and evolution.
A few months later, I was contacted by a curator from the States. She flew me to New York to be part of the grand opening of the Rumney Guggenheim Gallery in Williamsburg.
Together with artists like Olek, Swoon and Lady Aiko, I exhibited my work inside The Weylin, one of the oldest buildings in New York.
By this point, my style had evolved greatly. The “box” had become more of an abstract representation, extending beyond a single cube, and my palette began to shift towards gradients and pop colours.
As part of the show, I was commissioned to paint a four-storey mural right in front of the gallery.
It remains my largest mural to date and is still standing in Williamsburg.
It has become a landmark for Brooklyn locals and those taking the L and M trains into Manhattan daily — and has even made its way into a few TV shows.
The next chapter for Boxhead took me to Miami. I painted a large mural in Wynwood while exhibiting as part of Art Basel.
Things were picking up in the States, and soon after, I was invited to New Orleans by Pretty Lights.
He was releasing his new single The Sun Spreads in Our Minds during a surprise pop-up show on the last day of Jazz Fest. I was commissioned to paint a large mural that would become the backdrop for the show, arriving to it on a truck-mounted soundsystem after parading through the streets of New Orleans.
This remains one of the highlights of my career. Derek (Pretty Lights) and his team were incredibly generous, warm and welcoming — truly some of the best people I’ve met on my travels.
The US Chapter
Where it’s going.
Over the years, my work and the way I represent Boxhead have evolved greatly. I’ve always enjoyed experimenting with new mediums, from sculpture and art-toy to garments and animation.
More recently, I’ve immersed myself in what feels like the biggest shift so far: animation. Working across both 2D and 3D, I’m expanding Boxhead’s world in new ways.
I am excited to see what comes next and to keep sharing the journey.
Thank you for being there.
Love, Box.