JAVIER CALLEJA: SOONER OR LATER
© Javier Calleja
“Sooner or Later” by Javier Calleja will open on October 1st in Miami. Organized by NANZUKA.
The exhibition will be hosted in Bill Brady gallery. Originally set to open in April, the exhibition was postponed due to the global COVID pandemic during which the artist was unable to go to his studio. Under strict quarantine measures that were in effect through Spain, and away from his brushes and canvases for months, the new portraits Calleja painted after that felt different, more mature in comparison to his previous work. Always focused on letting the characters lead the way of his brush, he found himself more focused on depicting details that would suggest the evolution of the subject. The chin, the hair, the eye sockets, are in a way encapsulating the intensiveness of the year that we went through. Of course, the writings on the subject's t-shirts are further supporting this ambiance with Sooner Or Later, Now What?, You Reap What You Sow, It Won't Be Easy Or Clean encapsulating the essence of the moment in time experienced globally.
While regularly putting a focus on the installation aspect of his exhibitions, Calleja has decided to make this presentation clean and simple allowing the focus of the presentation to be on his biggest sculpture to date which is in dialogue with some of the biggest canvases he produced to date. The the monumental scale of the new works is somewhat of a way to celebrate the win of human spirit over difficulties brought by the unfortunate circumstances globally.
© Javier Calleja
Made of aluminum, crystal glass, and coated with urethane paint, Heads is 2.6m high cairn- like structure comprising of 5 heads with different hair and eyes color. The work is successfully translating his recent drawing/ painting concepts into 3D, but even more importantly, making a significant connection with the artist’s earlier works in which he experimented with stone towers. Looking for a way to connect that part of his practice with his current body of work, he started deconstructing his characters using their heads as an unassociated element and playing with them in a similar manner he once played with pebbles on his hometown beach. This eventually led to producing a monumental sculpture that evokes the magnificence of ancient monoliths, obelisks, totems, while capturing the fragility and surprising effect of stone towers. As much as the original practice of stone- stacking provides mindfulness and meditation benefits, the work invites the viewer to explore each of the faces from different angles and get lost in their huge eyes. At the same time, the work captures the fragility of human nature by evoking the transience of these structures and an absolute balance which is paramount for their/our existence.