My work always revolves around human beings and their relationships, both with other human beings and with themselves. I place them in open spaces, devoid of everything that is not nature. Places where they can be searched and found. Where they can feel free.
Javier Ruiz Pérez builds images on a paradoxical dichotomy between dreams and reality, creating a personalised space for his characters by juxtaposing mundane scenes of modern life with blissful landscapes.
Without framing his protagonists in any social context, the artist explores the pure human condition, leaving the viewer to observe the innate human psychology without any enhancing elements. Pérez’s Platform exhibition presents a series of paintings that depict his personal interpretation of a Garden of Earthly Delights; a heavenly place inhabited by people without a specific gender.
The paintings are abundant with bare planes and mountaintops where the human soul is reduced to a minimum expression.
The protagonists, seemingly unaware of the bizarreness of laying in these landscapes, exist without responding to their surroundings. By eliminating distinct signs of gender and any social codes of attire, Pérez completely de-contextualises his work, resulting in imagery that is alluring in its peculiarity, while simultaneously creating a space where his characters can simply be themselves, free of any judgement or social preconceptions.
Watch
Platform | Javier Ruiz Pérez from Unit London on Vimeo.
Drawing inspiration from his close relationships and his surrounding environment, Pérez’s work translates a deep reflection of everyday life.
Javier Ruiz Pérez
Se volvió a hacer de noche mientras dormíamos II
2021
Javier Ruiz Pérez
Se volvió a hacer de noche mientras dormíamos
2021
Javier Ruiz Pérez
Se volvió a hacer de noche mientras dormíamos III
2021
Javier Ruiz Pérez
Se volvió a hacer de noche mientras dormíamos IV
2021
Perez’s stylistic approach is evocative of classical oeuvres, provoking a sense of familiarity which is contrasted with the unexpected appearance of contemporary elements.
The dusky tones and intimate atmosphere is accompanied by the titles of the works which translate to “It became dark again while we slept”. Though some of the depicted subjects generate a feeling of warmth, while others seem elusive and distant, each protagonist has a story to tell and Pérez is inviting the viewer to listen.
About the Artist
Javier Ruiz Pérez (b. 1989, Andalusia) is a figurative painter whose artistic practise focuses on captivating the raw human experience.
Pérez has a degree in sculpture, graphic design and illustration from the School of Art No. 10 in Madrid. He has exhibited both collectively and individually at Torso, Círculo y Rama in 2018 in the Juan Francisco Casas exhibition hall in his hometown. In 2021, Pérez presented his first exhibition with the Víctor Lope Gallery, entitled As far as I know, in Barcelona. Later that year, Pérez had his second solo show Wax and Wane, The Curators Room, Amsterdam. He was the winner of the 2015 Bienal de Pintura deportiva de Burgos. His works are in the collection of the Contemporary Figurative Art of the European Museum of Modern Art (MEAM) in Barcelona. Pérez currently lives and works in Amsterdam.
Chosen Charity
We want people with PWS also to have an adult life like anyone else, to create a home for them that takes into account their peculiarities, they need it because their dependency does not allow them to be independent in today's world. But they told us it was impossible, so we are doing it. For us initiatives like this Platform programme are very important because it is difficult to find funds in the current situation. Therefore, thanks to Javier in particular and to you for your work.