Robert Nava creates bold, stripped-down figurative works that form an irreverent and mythic visual language all their own. Born in Indiana and based in Brooklyn, he combines spray paint, acrylic, and grease pencil to build a dynamic bestiary of real and imagined beings — from sharks and angels to clowns and hybrid creatures. A graduate of Yale University’s MFA painting program (2011), Nava has presented solo exhibitions in major art centers including New York, Brussels, Los Angeles, and Copenhagen. His work is also held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Marked by intentional rawness and energetic simplicity, Nava’s paintings resonate with influences ranging from prehistoric cave imagery to the expressive, gestural force associated with Jean-Michel Basquiat.