Joan Cornella 'Work Hard and Then Die' Print Release Details

Artist: Joan Cornella
Title: Work Hard and Then Die
Medium: Varnished Giclee Print with Glow In The Dark
Size: 43 x 60 cm
Edition: TIMED
Prices: €726

*available at 6am EST on Thursday October 23rd, 2025

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Joan Cornellà is a Spanish artist born in 1981 in Barcelona. He studied fine arts at the University of Barcelona and has become internationally known for his unsettling yet humorous visual narratives. Working primarily in acrylic on canvas and ink on paper Cornellà creates brightly colored minimalist figures that engage in absurd violent or taboo acts. His clean aesthetic recalls vintage advertising and classic comic strips yet the content subverts expectations with scenes of self harm deception and social hypocrisy rendered with deadpan smiles and vacant eyes. The contrast between cheerful palettes and disturbing subject matter forces viewers to confront uncomfortable truths about contemporary life including vanity cruelty and digital narcissism.

Cornellà began publishing comic strips in Spanish magazines before gaining viral fame through social media where his single panel images spread rapidly among audiences hungry for dark satire. Solo exhibitions in Hong Kong Taipei London New York Tokyo and Seoul have drawn long lines of fans eager to purchase prints books and merchandise featuring his instantly recognizable characters. Despite accusations of nihilism Cornellà insists his work is joyful arguing that laughter at tragedy is a healthy response to an absurd world. He continues to produce new paintings and comics daily sharing them with millions of followers online while preparing large scale installations that immerse viewers in his candy colored nightmare.