Javier León Pérez

b. 1977, Seville, Spain

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Javier’s monochromatic abstract landscapes undulate with rhizomatic movement. In his three-dimensional works, small elements of carefully folded Japanese paper interweave with each other tracing a dance, drawing the viewer into a parallel reality. As with poetry, the message is implicit, it points to a new place that opens up new possibilities.

In his paintings, drawings and sculptural paper works, the almost obsessive detailed process, and eternal repetition of small elements that cover the surface, act as a mantra, a sacred formula and deeply personal ritual for the artist. For the viewer, the first impact of the powerful colours or monochromatic pallet combined with the tactile oil, graphite or ink textures slowly move into a full aesthetic sensory experience. The eyes explore the surface and discover differences in density, quantity, as well as the games of light and shadow

In many of his series, Javier invokes the philosophical idea of Li (理), a concept found in Neo-Confucian Chinese philosophy that refers to the underlying reason and order of nature as reflected in its organic forms. This order or “natural geometry” is spontaneously generated in the physical world and can be visible, for example, in the textured patterns that arise in the bark of trees as they grow; in the ripples of sand dunes created by the wind; in the cracks that arise in dry clay; in the undulating surface of water.

Javier lives and works in Seville, Spain. He studied at the School of Arts in Seville and a postgraduate at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. He obtained the highest rating with his research “Return to the Silence”, focused on repetition of elements in painting as analogous to meditative rituals. He is the recipient of numerous awards in Spain and his work on Japanese paper was recognized in the Paper Biennial of Contemporary Art at the Museum Rijswijk in the Netherlands, and the Biennale of Contemporary Art Lalin in Spain. Javier has held multiple exhibitions across Europe, with his first solo show in Hong Kong in 2015. He has participated in art fairs in Spain, Portugal, Holland, Germany, the UK, Hong Kong, Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan. His works have been acquired by important Spanish collections, including La Caixa Foundation and DEARTE, and by prominent collectors in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Korea, including Indonesia’s prominent collector Mr. Victor Hartono.

Puerta Roja represents Javier León Pérez in Asia since 2014.