Five years ago, KA$PER was fixing cars at a Miami body shop. Today the Nicaraguan-American painter, sculptor and designer runs Kasper Studios, which, according to his team, just produced the full signage package for Corona Beach Club at the State Fair of Texas.
KA$PER’s route into the art world started with a post. During the pandemic he shared a Valentine’s Day painting on Instagram and landed five commissions in 24 hours, per his team. Weeks later, a music executive commissioned a piece for Ñengo Flow and Bad Bunny. He quit his mechanic job, set up in his mother’s kitchen and became a go-to name in Miami’s Latin music scene. His team says he has since worked with more than 25 A-list talents and more than 20 global brands, including Nike, Spotify, Rémy Martin and Patrón. The hotel world took notice too. Galerie Magazine lists KA$PER among past participants in the artist residency program at Kimpton EPIC Hotel in downtown Miami, which selects six local artists each year. According to the hotel’s own program page, EPIC Art launched in November 2021 to advance the work of local artists.
KA$PER builds a character meant to outlast the commissions
The center of the operation is KA$HY, an original character the artist describes as a masked ghost with a dollar-sign third eye. Its slogan is "Be transparent." In 2025, a 6-foot silver KA$HY sculpture, designed and fabricated by the artist, anchored his residency at Kimpton EPIC Hotel Miami. His team says that made him the first artist to display a sculpture at the hotel. The team lists other credits as well. It says he created eight of the ten works in the world’s first Basquiat NFT project, endorsed by The House of Basquiat. It also says he was chosen from a field of eight artists as the live painter for Nike and Foot Locker’s “Forever King” activation during Miami Art Week, which celebrated LeBron James’ 23rd NBA season.
Kasper Studios moves KA$PER’s work from concept to fabrication
What his team stresses most is how hands-on he stays. Many artists send concepts to overseas manufacturers. KA$PER, the team says, is involved from concept through fabrication. Kasper Studios now produces work ranging from large-scale installations to complete signage packages, including the Corona Beach Club job in Texas. His collectors are spread out, according to the team, from New York and Los Angeles to London, Australia and Germany. The next step is taking KA$HY into collectible sculptures, animation, fashion and immersive experiences. The stated aim is an identity meant to outlast him and provide a legacy for his family.
Plenty of artists get their start on commissions. The harder move is owning the thing that brands want to borrow. For KA$PER, a character, a fabrication studio and a product line under one roof is a different model from the cycle that launched his career. None of the plans he describes carries a release date yet, so the real test is still ahead.
