Mariano BNS

Born in 1985 in Buenos Aires, Mariano is a self-taught artist known as BNS. After moving to New York City in the early 2000s, he spent many years creating murals and paintings shaping the foundation of his artistic and visual language.

At the center of BNS’ work is a self-developed, registration-free silkscreen process refined over nearly two decades, where each screen is burned and hand-pulled only once. This one-time pull avoids the repetition of traditional screenprinting, making every piece unique.

His paintings combine spray paint, acrylics, ink, collage, photography, and silkscreen, often in 30+ layers, to build depth and texture. Through these layers, he juxtaposes cityscapes, nature, and people in figurative scenes.

Portraits begin with photo shoots in the artist’s studio and conversations with the models; other times, faces are constructed as collages, with eyes from one person, a mouth from another, and a body from a third, assembled into an entirely new subject. In other works, graffiti painted over the eyes adds anonymity, shifting the focus from identity to archetype.

Nature is also a recurring theme in BNS’ work. Floral and botanical designs appear in different layers throughout the works. Some of the plants are grown in his garden and photographed in his studio. Many of them carry a personal meaning such as yerba mate leaves, that evoke his childhood.

Cities like New York, London, and Paris are also embedded in the paintings. The works include self-referential imagery, especially buildings that hold personal significance in the artist’s life, such as his studios and homes, grandparents’ house, Scrapyard, CBGB, or Basquiat’s studio. Drawings by his kids are hidden within the layered backgrounds, alongside symbols of special importance.

Water towers, parking signs, and brownstone buildings, elements that make up the cityscape, come under the spotlight, reflecting the artist’s perception of beauty.

His work is in collections including Paris Hilton, Macaulay Culkin, Nicky Jam, and Nas, and has been featured in Forbes and Haute Living. Selected exhibitions include Art Miami, Art Wynwood, Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, Art New York, and Scope (Miami/NY/Basel).

Now based in Barcelona, he continues to create in and out of the studio.