Los Angeles–based contemporary artist Joshua Vides (b. 1989) has gained international recognition for his bold black-and-white “hand-drawn” aesthetic, which transforms everyday objects and environments into high-contrast experiences that dissolve the distinction between reality and illustration. Drawing on his background in streetwear and graphic design, Vides emerged on the fine-art scene in 2018 with an exhibit at LA’s Seventh Letter Gallery. Since then, his work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions worldwide.  

Vides calls his artistic style “Reality to Idea,” which he describes as the process of taking an object “back to the original sketch.” The effect is achieved by hand-painting black outlines and graphic details onto an object, creating the illusion of a flat drawing. For Flat Out, he applied his striking visual language to the automobile, inviting visitors into a world where cars become canvases for illusion. By flattening form and emphasizing line, he renders a three-dimensional scene—vehicles at a mechanic’s garage—in two dimensions, as if plucked from the pages of a sketchbook.