JAVIER CALLEJA (Málaga, 1971).
"Pot pop top", 2020.
Ceramic and glass. Edition of 500 copies.
Original custom-made box enclosed.
Produced by Case Studyo.
Measurements: 24 x 22 x 20 cm (figure).
Javier Calleja is an artist from Malaga, artistically trained at the University of Granada, where he graduated in Fine Arts in 2000. Since the beginning of his artistic career, his works have attracted the attention of critics and the public, making him one of the most sought-after artists both nationally and internationally. He held his first exhibition in 2002, participating in the group show Arte más joven, "Instituto Andaluz de la Juventud (IAJ)" Almeria, Jaen and Seville, Spain IAJ Granada, and only one year later (2003) he held his first solo exhibition with the title "Recuperar la mirada", Carmen de la Victoria, University of Granada. These exhibitions were followed by many others, both nationally and internationally, among them; 'Play room' held at CAC Málaga, held in 2008, Fast food, at Galerie Zink, Germany (2015), No cartoons tonight, Art on paper Fair (solo project), at Castor Gallery, New York (2016), Do not touch, at Nanzuka Gallery, Tokyo (2018), F*ck You, Nanzuka EchoOne, Nanzuka Gallery, Bangkok (2018), Javier Calleja, Solo exhibition, at Aisho/Nanzuka, Hong Kong (2019) and Those Little things, Artist residency, Dio Horia, Mykonos. Calleja has also participated in several of the most important art fairs in Spain, such as ARCO (2020), Estampa (2019) and Urbanity Art (2020). His work has been acquired by numerous private collectors, and also by relevant institutions such as Banco Sabadell, the Diputación de Málaga, DKV Collection, Marset Collection, the CAB of Burgos, the CAC of Málaga, Unicaja, the Junta de Andalucía and the University of Granada. It is worth noting that during the COVID, Calleja offered for sale several well-known figures with Art toy, with the aim of donating the profits to those affected by the pandemic. Calleja's work is characterised by a naïf language, which is influenced by a certain surrealist and pop character. In it, one can appreciate the interest in the presence of children, accompanied on many occasions by text. This characteristic invites the viewer to reflect on the images he proposes, delving into a conceptual meaning that goes beyond the obvious. Initially, his work focused on installation and mural painting, although he also works in other smaller formats such as sculpture and drawing.