Solario Studio Art Unlocks Core Memories
Meet illustrator Matías Solario, whose nostalgia-fueled style pays homage to the Hawai‘i of the 1940s through ’90s.
Photo: Courtesy of Solario Studio
Photo: Courtesy of Solario Studio
Hometowns: San Francisco and Sacramento
Currently Resides: Waikīkī
Medium: Block printing, digital and hand illustration
Aesthetic: 20th century nostalgia—retro color palettes paired with intentionally crude illustrations to mimic the look of midcentury printing processes
Inspirations: “Old, forgotten ephemera: nightclub matchbooks, travel brochures, print advertisements, old commercials. I was raised on TV, comic books, and print pop media, so there’s a certain lens these types of items provide through which I can view and understand my own past and the recent historical pasts of others.”
Vintage Vantage: “There are so many gorgeous old buildings that have fallen into disrepair and are passed by without a second thought. I like to take these gems and polish them up a bit, showcasing them in a way I’d imagine more closely represents what the architects and designers had in mind. Maybe it’s just my way of documenting and preserving.”
solario.studio, @solario.art.waikiki
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