Marcelo Soria-Rodriguez

Marcelo Soria-Rodríguez, born in 1977 in Almería, Spain, is an artist and strategist based in Madrid. He studied Telecommunications Engineering and Signal Processing in Spain, the U.S., and Finland. Before fully entering the art world, he spent over a decade at the forefront of innovation, co-founding the data initiative that evolved into Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA) Data & Analytics in 2014, and later helping launch the BBVA AI Factory in 2019. There, he shaped data strategy and laid the foundation for how one of Europe’s leading banks approached digital transformation. Soria-Rodríguez has also co-founded several ventures, from a crowdsourced mobile intelligence startup to a strategy studio focused on human-machine relationships. He is also the co-founder of Databeers, a grassroots data literacy movement that reached over 30 cities across 10 countries. Through all of this, his work centers on expanding what’s possible at the intersection of people, data, and design.

Soria-Rodríguez’ artistic practice covers generative and digital art, painting, music, and photography, each offering a unique way to explore the changing relationship between humans and machines. He approaches generative art by working with machines as collaborators or even creators, raising questions about what it means to be human and whether machines can experience or express emotions. He finds it fascinating to watch artificial neural networks learn from previous images, opening up new creative possibilities. At the same time, Soria-Rodríguez values painting as a way to stay connected to our physical roots, reminding us that despite digital progress, our brains developed in a tactile world that still needs hands-on expression. Music is the most abstract form of art for him because it moves emotions without relying on direct meaning. He enjoys composing instrumental pieces to deepen this emotional dialogue. In his photography, he focuses on geometry, color, light, and shadow, using these simple elements to provoke thought, evoke feelings, or simply capture what he finds beautiful. Some of his generative works also include interactive or performative components, inviting viewers into a more immersive experience.

His work has been shown widely, including in Unbound: Ecologies in the Age of Machines at Unit London and entretiempos, part of the Art Blocks Curated series. He was part of Bright Moments Mexico City and the Finale collection, and his project Contrapuntos is one of the most acclaimed on the Tezos/fxhash platform. Exhibitions at Kate Vass Galerie and Art Basel Hong Kong reflect the growing international interest in his practice.

Rau and Soria-Rodríguez, collaborated on Toccata, a generative audiovisual work shaped by a shared interest in music, the way things evolve over time, and a mutual curiosity about processes of decay and transformation. Rather than merging distinct styles, they set out to create something that reflected both of their voices through a new, unified language. Their partnership began in early March 2022, just as the war in Ukraine broke out, a moment that brought an acute awareness of how quickly the familiar can shift. That feeling shaped Toccata from the start, influencing how they approached cycles of growth, disruption, and renewal. The music and visuals unfold separately but remain connected, tracing a fragile rhythm between presence and erosion. At the center of the work is a piano sampled from Andreas’s childhood instrument, a personal anchor within a broader reflection on what endures and what erodes over time.