What Does Y2K Aesthetic Mean Today?

At Arts to Hearts Project, we’re always curious about the journeys that shape artists and the ideas that drive their work. In this conversation, we sit down with painter and sculptor Arielle Tesoriero, whose practice draws on early 2000s pop culture and examines the blurred line between playful nostalgia and the pressures associated with femininity and performance.

In this interview, Arielle opens up about why she’s drawn to the sugary colours of Y2K aesthetics, how she navigates the practical challenges of working across painting and sculpture, and the ways her music and visual practice intersect. She discusses the push and pull between showcasing work online versus in a gallery, what continues to feel unfinished in her journey, and the projects she’s most excited to bring to life next.

What we learn from Arielle is not just how she builds her visual language, but also how she thinks about growth, experimentation, and the spaces —both digital and physical —where her work resides.

Arielle Tesoriero is a featured artist in our book, “100 Emerging Artists 2025” You can explore her journey and the stories of other artists by purchasing the book here:

https://shop.artstoheartsproject.com/products/the-creative-process-book

Arielle Tesoriero (b. 1997) is a painter and sculptor from the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland, currently based in New York City. She has exhibited with Steven Zevitas Gallery, New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA), and The Untitled Space. In 2022, she was awarded the Kylemore Abbey Artist Residency and was a finalist for the New American Paintings Emerging Artist Grant. Her work has been featured in publications including New American Paintings and The Untitled Magazine. Tesoriero has exhibited across the United States and internationally, and holds an MFA from the New York Academy of Art.

1.   Your work blends early 2000s nostalgia with themes of control, identity, and performance—what first drew you to that particular era and aesthetic?  

I’m sad, so I tend to gravitate towards things that bring me happiness. Colorful things make me happy. 

2.    You describe femininity as armour, a weapon, and a battleground. How do you see those ideas evolving in your newer work?  

I’ve been mainly exploring the idea of performance within my paintings, but I’m reaching the point where I want to focus more on my sculptures. Unfortunately, I struggle with practical issues, such as storage and material costs. I don’t see the need to evolve my conceptual ideas, but rather my formal language. I want to focus on material experimentation at the moment.  

3.    There’s a strong emotional thread connecting your music and visual art—does one usually lead the other, or do they grow side by side?  

People often ask me this question. It’s hard to track how things interchange when you are talking about yourself, because I already nitpick and overanalyse myself so much. In this instance, I would like to leave the question to the audience to decide. Plus, it will give them a reason to listen to my depressing music.

Colorful things make me happy.

Arielle Tesoriero

4. Songs like “2313” and “Beautiful Princess Disorder” feel like raw journal entries. How do you decide what stays in the diary and what makes it into a track or painting?   

I don’t make many diary entries about my paintings, but it definitely consumes me in other ways. I remember when I was in undergrad, my professor would say that I needed to “wake up, think about painting, eat, think about painting, sleep, think about painting.” I think that’s part of the reason I gravitated toward sculpture; I get too caught up in my head about painting. My songs sound like diary entries because they are most of the time. I will scrap or replace a few words here and there, but I enjoy writing poems. 

Seeing work in person is the way that art is meant to be seen.

Arielle Tesoriero

5.   You’ve shown in both traditional gallery settings and online exhibitions. How do those different spaces change how your work is seen or understood?     

Seeing work in person is the way that art is meant to be seen. My work has numerous layers, marks, and details that don’t translate well to a screen. There is a weight to the size, material, and breadth of a work; sometimes, I feel like the emotion is taken away when we scroll through images like a flipbook. On the other hand, online exhibitions enable work to be viewed by a larger audience, allowing you to connect with more people. I’m fortunate to have found a large online community that supports me, and I feel grateful for that. 

6.  Looking back at your journey from Crisfield to New York and from painting to pop ballads, what parts of that ride still feel unfinished or in progress?   

I’m constantly growing as an artist and looking for new ways to expand my artistic vocabulary. I love learning new media and experimenting. This year, I’ve been working on my own artist book, which I’ve designed, a sort of hybrid between a zine and a traditional book. I had planned to release it at the end of the year, but I have to push it back farther. I fund everything myself, and I’m self-publishing it, so I need more time to get everything together. However, it will feature my art, music, minigames, an interview, essays, and many other enjoyable elements. I’m super excited to share it. I would also love to have my artwork featured on dresses or corsets, and I am actively looking for designers in NYC to collaborate with. 

Arielle Tesoriero’s work draws us into a world where early 2000s nostalgia meets questions of identity, performance, and control. Through her colours, imagery, and forms, she captures both the joy and unease of growing up in a culture that simultaneously celebrates and exploits girlhood.

From painting to sculpture to music, her journey demonstrates the value of experimentation, curiosity, and openness to change. What we take away from her story is that art is not only about the final image, but also about the conversations it sparks and the spaces it creates for connection.

To learn more about Arielle, click the following links to visit her profile.

Arts to Hearts Project is a global media, publishing, and education company for
Artists & Creatives: An international audience will see your work of art, patrons, collectors, gallerists, and fellow artists: access exclusive publishing opportunities and over 1,000 resources to grow your career and connect with like-minded creatives worldwide. Click here to learn about our open calls.