Buff Monster (b. 1979), based in New York City, combines distinct traits from heavy metal, Japanese culture and ice cream to create bold, candy-colored, whimsical characters that spread and travel amongst the urban landscapes through graffiti. Using bold lines and vivid hues, these bright characters bridge the worlds of graffiti, pop art, and consumer culture by commenting on themes of indulgence, social transience, innocence, the grotesque and adaptability. The characters, especially the iconic Mister Melty, also nihilistically capture the effects of time, stripping us of youth, memories and abilities similarly to how time dramatically melts ice cream. With an over two-decade career, navigating urban spaces and painting murals around the world, Buff monster has expanded from aerosol on walls to canvas, sculpture, toys and print. His style has seamlessly crossed between large streetside walls to that of contemporary galleries. He has been exhibited in solo shows across Corey Helford Gallery, Los Angeles, Andenken Gallery, Denver, StolenSpace Gallery, London,Kolly Gallery, Zurich,and exhibited in group shows at Chengdu Times Art Museum,Known Gallery, Las Vegas and GR Gallery, New York. His work continues to be as playful as it is profound by being full of joy, nostalgia and the hopes of making the world a sweeter place.