The Man Behind the Blossoms: Super Buddha

In an era where oversharing is quite literally the norm, rarely do we get to see creators that still preserve their anonymity, allowing the art to be their voice, their biography, and their soul.

Super Buddha represents a vanishing quality in modern life. A Venezuelan-born, Shanghai-raised artist whose art has captivated collectors worldwide, including the Vatican itself. His early work in Shanghai’s underground urban art scene laid the foundation for his distinctive style, which combines elements of pop art and street art. While his work consistently sets off ripples of excitement wherever it lands, Super Buddha remains private in its wake.

From the outset of the interview, it becomes clear that the talent behind the infamous Baby Buddha and his graffiti artwork was a clear reflection of who he is on the inside, too — a spiritual being that has weathered through life’s storms and is in his own state of bloom.

His latest collection, “The Cherry Blossom Experience,” symbolizes the impermanence of life. Behind the drip-soaked, ethereal blossoms lies a story of pain, perseverance, and profound spiritual awakening.

“Reaching perfection and the end goal requires so much sacrifice and pain that people don’t realize,” Super Buddha said. “They think you’re just going to get to the pot of gold without the trials and tribulations that you need to go through.”

Cherry Blossoms only bloom once a year. The duration of their bloom is only 5 to 14 days, making their transient appearance of beauty deeply symbolic to someone who revealed that things haven’t always been so pretty in his life.

As Super Buddha opened up, he acknowledged that while mystery has worked to build intrigue, it comes with the downside of people looking for a connection with the person who holds the brush.

So who is he? Lucky for you, Super Buddha gave me a slight glimpse into who is behind the Kasa hat. When he’s not channeling himself onto a canvas, he is spending time with his family or hanging out at the beach. Who would have thought a chill guy would be one of the first graffiti artists tagging buildings in Shanghai?

“I’ve always been in tune with my emotional side of things growing up. I just never knew I had to translate it to painting until a few years back,” said Super Buddha, the artist whose smiling Buddha icon has become a symbol of modern enlightenment.

“My work is so positive because I deal with so much pain,” he says, capturing the paradox at the heart of his creations. His pain becomes healing for others and has translated into colorful works of art for the beholder. Today, he starts each painting organically with no sketch, no blueprint, and no end goal.

“I go straight for the paint,” he said.

He confesses he might not have been the best student in his art classes, but this self-taught talent brought him to an unexpected turning point in his career. An Instagram DM inquiring about a $200 commission to paint a Louis Vuitton backpack for a client in Madrid. That backpack would be the unlikely ticket to the Vatican. Little did he know that the same client showed his piece to the curator for the Vatican’s art section.

“Next thing I know, my painting sold for nearly six figures, and I’m meeting the Pope,” he recalls, still in awe. “That’s when I knew something was happening. There are no coincidences in life.”

From his first art studio being next to garbage cans to now the penthouse of the Marquis, it’s safe to say Super Buddha can make magic happen anywhere. Now, regarding what’s next, we can’t say for certain as we do not know. When asked for upcoming projects or collaborations, the artist says there’s a lot, but he’d never tell.

“I’m a big believer in never saying things until they happen,” he explained.

In the end, while the artist may remain partially hidden, his work reveals all. Through dripping blossoms, textured branches, and bursts of impermanent beauty, he gives us a direct line to his soul. And maybe, just maybe, that’s more intimate than any biography ever could be.