Javier Calleja produces works that bring surprise and humor to viewers by incorporating subtle twists and interventions to various events within everyday life. Expressing a fondness for the works of René Magritte, Calleja attempts to reference and reinterpret the techniques of the surrealist master through contemporary portraiture. As testimony of such endeavor, his expressions carefully pay attention to details such as changes in color and shifts in scene, as well as gaps and discrepancies between his subjects and the messages that they convey. Furthermore, the setting for the narratives that naturally draw the attention of the viewer, are also an ingenious ploy that are executed on his part. When confronting his works, we as viewers come to realize that what is in fact represented within its context, is our own mentality and subjectivity. This exhibition features his new paintings. Please enjoy the correlation with the text drawn in the work.
NANZUKA. 3-30-10, Jingumae Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
Image: Javier Calleja “Do not touch”