Born: New York, NY, 1998
Current Location: Queens, NY
Website / Portfolio: julianalexanderstudio.com
Instagram: @snakebone_
Biography
Julian Adon Alexander has been making art for as long as he can remember. Drawing, writing stories, and creating comic books were early forms of expression, all rooted in a desire to tell stories. Over time, that instinct shifted from words to images, where he found a more natural and immediate way to communicate. His visual language is deeply informed by manga and anime, which have remained central influences since childhood.
He attended an art-focused high school program in Brooklyn that allowed him to build a portfolio for college, an experience he describes as invaluable. He later graduated from the School of Visual Arts in New York with a Bachelor’s degree in Illustration, formalizing a foundation that had already been developing through years of personal exploration.
Everything in his life, including the experiences of those around him, feeds into his work. He is conscious of his environment and moves in a way that reflects and respects it. Early on, he experimented with large-scale paintings, believing that was the expected path after school. His first solo exhibition shifted that direction entirely, consisting of small-scale drawings that aligned more closely with his roots in comics and illustration. Letting go of those earlier expectations allowed him to create work that felt more honest and personal.
His practice is driven by the need to express what cannot always be said out loud. At times, he is aware of his thoughts but unable to voice them, and at others, disconnected from them entirely. Art becomes a way to process both states. Much of his current work centers on coping mechanisms and the realities of consumer culture, examining how people navigate pain through consumption, whether through food, objects, or habits. His work does not attempt to moralize but instead presents these behaviors as they exist, both complicated and deeply human.
Artistic Practice
Julian primarily works with graphite and ink, favoring materials that allow for speed, flexibility, and detail. The immediacy of these tools supports a process that is both instinctive and obsessive, where he can move quickly while still getting lost in intricate mark-making.
He describes his style as immediate, sketch-driven, and at times neurotic. His compositions often shift between densely worked areas and moments of restraint, creating a tension between excess and absence. This balance reflects both his visual interests and the psychological states embedded within the work.
Themes of coping, consumption, and everyday life run throughout his practice. His drawings often function as journal entries, capturing moments that range from deeply personal to casually observational. Inside jokes, private thoughts, and lived experiences all exist within the same space, creating work that feels intimate even when its meaning is not fully explained.
Recurring elements include references to the tri-state area, particularly New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey, which he sees as inseparable from his identity. As these environments shift through time and development, his work reflects a desire to document and honor the people and communities that shaped him.
Another consistent presence is figurines and collectible objects. His interest in anime figures and small trinkets exists alongside an awareness of the pressures of adulthood and financial stability. This contrast between personal fulfillment and societal expectation becomes a central tension within the work, reflecting both critique and acceptance.
Notable Works & Exhibitions
One of his upcoming exhibitions, “BLACK ANIME,” curated by Juliyen Davis at Industry One Foundation in Portland, Oregon, marks an important moment in his trajectory, expanding the reach of his work within a broader cultural context.
A particularly meaningful experience was participating in the Street Dreams Issue 16 pop-up at Street Dreams Studios in Tokyo. Engaging with an international audience and connecting with viewers across the world reinforced the universality of his work and its ability to resonate beyond his immediate environment.
Selected Exhibitions
• BLACK ANIME, Industry One Foundation, Portland, OR, February – May 2026
• Street Dreams Issue 16 Pop-Up, Street Dreams Studios, Tokyo, Japan
Links & Press
• Quantity can become quality: transforming reality through charcoal | Julian Adon Alexander
• Collaborations: Street Dreams Magazine, NBA G League, The New Yorker, Penguin Random House
In His Words
“I make art to speak about the things I have a hard time speaking about in reality.”
“I think by being uncomfortably personal in the art, I’m doing something that people can sense as real even if they don’t fully understand.”
