Daniel Sierra
Daniel Sierra is a mosaic artist living in Catskill, NY. He was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1964 and became closely affiliated with the legendary NYC underground nightclub, the Paradise Garage in the 1980s. The Garage was known for its tight-knit community of culturally diverse musicians, artists and dancers, and it was at the Garage where Sierra met producer Michael de Benedictus, who later adopted him as his son, and Keith Haring, who took him under his wing as a mentor. His relationship with Haring sparked a lifelong influence on Sierra's work. After taking a break from New York in the early 90s, Sierra moved to Miami and began assisting and collaborating with artist Carlos Alvez. Local officials in Miami dubbed him "The Mosaic Madman" because of his unique brand of tagging public spaces, walls and street lamps with ceramic tile in an effort to beautify what was then a rundown area of South Beach.He eventually made Catskill his permanent home, where he continues to produce ceramic mosaics with never-waning passion in his shipping-container-turned-studio and works as a union painter. He has honed his craft over his 40 years of practice, producing work that blends outsider art, street art and pop art in defining a unique and eccentric style. Some of his work can be seen in various clubs, record stores or other cultural institutions where he has installed permanent pieces over the years. His most recent commission was a floor mosaic at BX Eatery, a restaurant opening soon in the Bronx.His most recent show opened at Gallery 495 in Catskill, NY in March of 2025. In "Janus: A Dual Exhibition Featuring Daniel Sierra and Mike McManus", Sierra will be debuting drawings alongside his mosaic works. With his dedication and mastery over his craft intersecting with a renewed cultural interest in raw, urban art, Sierra's work is more relevant now than ever before.
