Faded Soft Construct
Net Art
Duration: 0 min.
Friday, 09 October 2026 | 11:00 > 11:002026-10-09T11:00:00.000Z | Exhibition Area #1
Year: 2026
Medium: Custom LoRA model, ControlNet, Photoshop
The work combines impressionistic softness with a post-photographic structure, exploring how something can appear natural and organic at first glance while revealing itself to be entirely constructed the closer it is observed.
From a distance, the images evoke an impressionistic landscape of wildflowers, warm light and soft fields. Viewed more closely, however, the petals reveal themselves as something else: folds, seams and synthetic textures reminiscent of wrinkled jackets and fabrics from another era. The work is strongly influenced by late 1990s and early 2000s street fashion, particularly the paneled and utility-based fabrics associated with Steep Tech.
Over time, these visual references became part of the artist's memory and return in the work not as literal quotations, but as textures that feel worn and familiar. The flowers are "engineered" through this visual vocabulary, bringing together the organic appearance of natural forms and the constructed language of synthetic materials.
Rather than offering an escape into nature, the work attempts to bring these apparently opposing worlds together and construct something new from their encounter: the world the artist grew up in and the one he is drawn to now.
The images were created using a custom LoRA model and ControlNet, with post-production in Photoshop and finalization through upscaling tools.
Medium: Custom LoRA model, ControlNet, Photoshop
The work combines impressionistic softness with a post-photographic structure, exploring how something can appear natural and organic at first glance while revealing itself to be entirely constructed the closer it is observed.
From a distance, the images evoke an impressionistic landscape of wildflowers, warm light and soft fields. Viewed more closely, however, the petals reveal themselves as something else: folds, seams and synthetic textures reminiscent of wrinkled jackets and fabrics from another era. The work is strongly influenced by late 1990s and early 2000s street fashion, particularly the paneled and utility-based fabrics associated with Steep Tech.
Over time, these visual references became part of the artist's memory and return in the work not as literal quotations, but as textures that feel worn and familiar. The flowers are "engineered" through this visual vocabulary, bringing together the organic appearance of natural forms and the constructed language of synthetic materials.
Rather than offering an escape into nature, the work attempts to bring these apparently opposing worlds together and construct something new from their encounter: the world the artist grew up in and the one he is drawn to now.
The images were created using a custom LoRA model and ControlNet, with post-production in Photoshop and finalization through upscaling tools.
Author
Chris Maestas (0009) (b. 1984) is an American artist and designer whose creative journey began in the urban environment of Los Angeles, where he was immersed in graffiti and skateboarding culture during the 1990s. Inspired by graffiti art and 1990s street culture, his early work reflects the disruptive and rebellious energy of these movements.
His practice spans a variety of media, including acrylic, oil-based enamel, spray paint, 3D and digital art. More recently, he has focused on generative AI processes as...