New York based Juan Alvear, is a nail artist who loves to push boundaries in order to exceed expectations and challenge the mundane. You may know of his Instagram account ‘Nails by Juan’, which was conceived from the ‘finsta’ account where he used to post pictures of his peer’s badly painted nails during his school days. ‘Nails by Juan’ has grown hugely in popularity since then as his designs have become increasingly innovative and fantastical. Juan has worked with the likes of Lil Nas X for the VMAs and Rosalía, Arca and Charli XCX on various music videos. Each time he has created masterpieces in the form of nails that encompass his own style and identity. We speak to Juan about his motives, inspiration, recent projects and what is next to come.

Probably best described as innovative and unique, your nail art conforms against mainstream manicures, but how did ‘Nails by Juan’ begin?

As a kid I was always compulsively hoarding a number of small things from rocks to candy wrappers. One of those things was nail polish which I would buy whenever I saw them on clearance for a dollar. I would use them in my paintings and drawings occasionally, so I think that’s why I was drawn to them. While in school I brought along my nail polish collection and planned to make a painting with it, but on the first day, students would ask me to paint their nails. I started a ‘finsta’ where I would post these nails, along with other people’s badly painted nails, and entitled it Nails by Juan. The rest is history.

What is it about nails that entices you so strongly?

I try not to question my pull towards nails so much or I get lost in a state of over-thinking. That said, I’m fascinated by their scale, which in retrospect makes sense of my aforementioned hoarding tendency of small objects. I like their strangeness and their beauty. I like that they are extravagant. Their function activates space and can describe an individual through taste, style, and even humour.

You are well known for creating supremely long and exaggerated nails that resemble more of a mythical creature than human nails, what inspires these unearthly designs?

I draw inspiration from a number of things. I like pushing the boundaries of what is expected and what can be seen as beautiful. It’s a balancing act of the two. My nail practice is meant to be surreal and uncanny because it usually diverges from functional and leans into performative. I draw inspiration from colour, form, texture, and how these things meet.

Do you have an all-time favourite look that you have created?

Every design is different and serves different purposes, because there isn’t a single objective I can’t say I have one favorite. In some cases, my most cherished experiences have come from simpler nails; for example, the nails I did on Lil Nas X for the VMAs, which was a surreal experience in itself. That said, I’ve always enjoyed making nails for music videos, which I have a history of working on with Rosalía, Arca, and Charli XCX. I think the energy people bring and the production of it all is completely dreamlike. I also had fun recently shooting a campaign for Kara from home during this quarantine which was a new experience to say the least. In every project I find a number of things that resonate with me from working with the talent and team to pushing past my own boundaries and expectations. I think every set of nails that I’ve made plays a very important role in my life’s journey.

You have worked with Coeval before, creating the masterpieces behind the video for ‘The Nails’ and editorial for ‘Sassy Halloween’ – how has your work changed and adapted since then?

Well, I’ve been working out some kinks and some new techniques for making my nails more Ready-to-Wear. I want them to be collectible pieces that can be experienced physically and become incorporated into people’s everyday lives. This is something to keep an eye out for in the coming weeks!

As a self-proclaimed artist do you believe there is a difference between art and your specific-craftsmanship or do they overlap entirely?

The answer is simple. Anything I make will have my voice in it and what more is ‘art’ than a vehicle for communicating? To get a little deeper I think that ‘art’ communicates a blend of one’s own self-awareness and interests, and mixes that with something just barely out of reach of our own understanding of self. Creating anything is a reflective process. It can be looked at in the same way I’m answering these questions via a train of thought and trying to make sense of the logic and where I’m going based on what I’ve said.

What historical or cultural references are behind your practice?

There are many cultural references and human history within the theme of beauty. On the note of my last answer which was in short, “creating anything is a statement”, with any statement there is a possibility for conversation. What I do is innately in dialogue with the history of beauty. My work goes out of its way to ask “but what if ...” and therefore leads me to create something that has never been imagined before. The real motive behind my work is to give a new, fantastical point of view.

How are you using this time during isolation to creatively express yourself?

I’ve been using a lot of this time for creative self-reflection, as well as an opportunity to research archived imagery. I’ve been thinking about and reflecting on my dreams and fantasies for creative fuel. I’ve also been busy exploring and practicing new techniques, drawing, and secretively song writing—but that’s another story altogether.