At the edge of magical realism.
The studio's work moves between organic form and sharp geometry, drawing on figurative and tribal references. A life across multiple continents sharpened the eye behind the work.
Faces and places, reshaped until they turn strange.
No two works are built the same way. Styles shift and materials change from one painting to the next. What holds them together is the close detail, the marks and textures that only show themselves when you stand near the canvas.
Controlled chaos.
Leo Hydra · Dubai · Mixed Media on Canvas
What drives me
Colour and form arrive before words. The work resolves over many sittings, layer by layer, until the composition settles. Painting is how I keep a record of what I notice in travel, in memory, in the room I'm in.
I am interested in edges: where geometry meets chaos, where the familiar dissolves into the surreal. Each work is a place for the viewer to step into and find their own reading among the layers and marks left behind.
Two years ago I acquired my first Leo Hydra piece.
It has become the centre of my living room.
Every time I look at it I notice something new. The layers, the colour, the way it changes with the light.
It feels like living with a piece of his imagination.
A Private Collector · 2024
The atelier
This is where sketches become paintings. Colour and texture are tested, layered, and refined. Each piece is built in stages, successive passes adjusted against what's already on the canvas.
A quiet, focused space. No rush. Every work gets the time it asks for.
The work returns to
The visual and conceptual motifs that recur across the practice.
- 01Lettering & Urban Art
- 02Surreal Distortions
- 03Geometry & Chaos
- 04Travel & Memory
- 05Figurative & Tribal
- 06Cartoons & Street Art
The Studio · Dubai
Made to be lived with.
See what is currently available, or write to the studio about a piece.