Juxtapoz Art and Culture-Spring_2019

JAVIER CALLEJA JUXTAPOZ.COM 111

the past, but most of my gallerists help me to
do this kind of thing now. So I can mix the old
things and new things. But I'm always a little bit
worried because, in the beginning, I did small
installations, abstractions, figurative, conceptual,
pop, surrealistic, minimal, everything. And
people would say, “Javier, you are crazy. You have
to choose one.” But I want to mix everything
together. Sometimes it's not Surrealistic anymore,
but absurd. Sometimes I paint the character, and
the text on his T-shirt is absolutely absurd. But if
you mix something real and absurd, you create
something new, and it makes sense, so people can
understand. It's like a book—the first sentence of
the book is really important.

And your style, your visual language translates
great on all scales. Do you prefer big or small-
scale works?
Both. ’Cause in my very beginning I used to play
with scale. You know, there was a show in CAC
Malaga, where I did big and really small scale,
and everything worked. So with new paintings
and installations, it is a completely different way,
but still similar. It's still Javier Calleja. My work is
now different, but the conceptual part is the same.

That is actually the main connection between old

works and new works.

At the very beginning of my art practice, I had

a show in Madrid. When I arrived at the gallery

where I was supposed to bring my work, they

said, "Hey, you forgot your works. Where are your

works?" I said, "No, no, my works are here, in a

box, in my pocket.” The guy said, "What? Are you

going to do a show with only this in this space?"

I said, "Yes, yes, don't worry. You will see." And we

did. With a box filled with tiny little pieces.

Do you have a dream installation you would like

to make?

Yes, but I know I'm not at that level yet. So I try to

not think. Sometimes I do have ideas and I try to

think about the level I am at and how can I get to the

next one. But I try to not think about that too much

because I don't want to cry. [Laughs] My next step

is to change the studio. I want to change the studio

next year if I can and get a bigger one.

So, you don't have any aspirations to do like a

big mural, or something monumental?

Yes, I did some murals, but I'm not happy in

the street. I'm not comfortable ’cause I know

I'm not a street artist. And I have never been

really happy with things I did in the street. So

I decided to stop. Maybe one day... but I prefer

to do sculptures. If I was gonna do something

outside, I have more ideas with sculpture than

with painting.

What sorts of things inspire your work?

Everything. I'm inspired by everything. I can get

inspired by talking with you. Maybe there is a

sentence which I can use on a T-shirt. And also,

sometimes I'm inspired by other artists. This is

nice to talk about because, in the art world, all the

artists are scared to talk about being inspired by

other artists. But for me, it’s not hard to say, "Okay,

if I like the works of other artists, I can try and

work with those ideas too.”

There was a guitar player in Spain, Paco de Lucía,

who said, "When I see somebody doing something

nice, I try to do the same.” So, I wanted to do that

myself. I want to repeat what somebody else made,

and keep working on it. At some point, I’m doing it

myself, and step by step, it's becoming mine. But at

the beginning, it's the same as the source.

Above: Installation View of Do Not Touch, NANZUKA, Tokyo, Japan, 2018