This feature appears in VMAN 48, now available for purchase!

Whether from the east or west, north or south, every corner of the globe knows that the language of art is universal, knowing no bounds or limitations in the way that art can resonate with people who you have yet to meet—just ask Lucas Cristino, the model-turned-artist that’s got New York City buzzing about his latest moves. From gracing the runways to being featured in various editorials since 2012, Cristino’s entry into the mainstream world of fashion came through the route of male modeling—having been signed at the early age of 21, when he was discovered in his home country of Brazil. “[As a kid], I was always smiling, always happy—even with other difficulties in life.” he explains about his upbringing in South America. “My mind was always creative, I always had to be doing something.”

It was that unwavering optimism and hungry spirit that led him all the way to New York, finding solace around other creatives in the concrete jungle while bunking with students from nearby colleges. “When I came here, I didn’t speak any English but I [ended up] learning and started to book [modeling] jobs—[becoming an artist] was an accident. One day, [my roommates] told me to draw something and when I picked up the pencil, boom! I felt like I found myself completely and discovered what was missing.” And in that euphoric moment of clarity, an artist was born. Having zeroed in on his newfound craft in the years to come, capturing the many colorful characters that inhabit the island of Manhattan, Cristino found muses in the people of his surroundings saying “I think it’s the Brazilian energy—I know a lot of people in New York because we are always friendly.” Cristino shares. “It’s a blend of people that I know and of people that want to be part of this.”

And as each fiber of the brush in every masterful stroke of an oil paint color touched a fresh new canvas, people everywhere had begun to recognize the work of the Brazilian creative—having recently been tapped to complete portraits for rappers such as Vic Mensa and 24kGoldn. “It excites me [when someone recognizes my art] because it feels like I’m onto something.” Now as the industry’s brightest begins to take notice of the budding talent, Cristino is already looking for ways to level up and bring his craft to the next frontier while also giving back to his local communities back home. “I feel like if I can make it happen here, I can give so much back to the kids back home that look like me. I can say to them ‘If you can dream it, you can believe it because it’s possible.’”

This feature appears in VMAN 48, now available for purchase!