Javier Calleja
Spain
Born in and currently basing his practice in Malaga which is recognized as the birthplace of Picasso, Javier Calleja had spent his childhood in Barcelona training as a certified athletic candidate for the Olympic national team in gymnastics. Thereafter, convinced of his desire to devote his passion solely art, it was not before long that he came to pursue his path as an artist. 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 Rene 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 represent within its context, is our own mentality and subjectivity.