Jairo Serna makes paintings and drawings that explore themes of intimacy/alienation, gentrification, and the public spectacle of everyday living, all situated in an urban context. Through a primarily figurative lens, he approaches painting with an experimental edge, producing mosaic-like paintings from fragments of dried acrylic paint. 

Jairo Serna (b. 1996, Queens, NY) lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. In 2018 he received his BFA in Painting and Drawing from SUNY Purchase. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Bronx Council on the Arts BRIO award and a recipient of the 2021 NYFA City Artist Corps Grant. Jairo Serna was an artist in residence at the Oxbow School of Art in 2021, The Macedonia Institute in 2024, and Wassaic Project in 2025.

Outline of a Hand, 2026, dried acrylic, gouache, inkjet print, and gel medium on canvas, 26” x 30” - $2800

Part 1 of the citY Glyphs Series curated by Orli Swergold