Manuel Arias was born and raised in Indianapolis to immigrant parents. His upbringing paradoxically consisted of a suburban-American experience along with traditional Latino values where celebration was constant. Although Manuel was often exposed to diverse forms of expression through music, dance, cuisine, and paintings from his family, he began to understand his own creative potential after moving to Chicago. He began to study the “greats” of art and could not satiate his thirst for the tradition. Manuel quickly found that the root of his love for art came from its expression of authentic human experience. He no longer felt trapped by the maddening modernity of the world but rather found respite in expression. In his own practice, he found a place no longer subjugated to discrimination or prejudice.

Manuel’s art seeks to celebrate what it means to be human: to experience emotion authentically. He encourages others to feel rather than think when viewing his art to be mindfully present. Manuel finds empowerment in the freedom of being a self-taught artist who hopes to inspire others to realize their own capacity to create from their own unique experience.