Rafael San Martín Sánchez

Born in Santander, Cantabria, Spain, in 1951, Rafael San Martín Sánchez is a prominent digital painter and artist who currently lives and works in his native city.

San Martín defines his practice through a deep conceptual engagement with digital media as a reversible space for painting. Each layer—color, shape, or line—can be added, erased, and reconfigured, embodying a neo-formalist exploration of composition and temporality.

Since 2022, San Martín has been recognized in numerous national competitions: in Valencia de Alcántara (Cáceres, 2022), Pelahustán (Toledo, 2023), Tomelloso (Ciudad Real, 2023), and the XLVI “Carta Puebla" painting contest in Miguelturra, Ciudad Real (October 2024) Arte Informado. His work was notably selected for the 58th Reina Sofía International Prize for Painting and Sculpture (Madrid, 2023), which he personally described to Queen Sofía.

In August 2024 he took part in an international exhibition held in Istanbul, invited by Luna Grande gallery. His solo and group exhibitions have also appeared in Córdoba, Madrid, Tomelloso, and Santander, among others.