This Friday, Javier Calleja opens a comeback show at Hong Kong's AishoNanzuka Gallery, two years after the Asian debut that launched his career into a new dimension. Now, the Spanish artist returns to a city that inspires so many, and presents a new multidisciplinary showcase entitled I did, I do, I will do.
AishoNanzuka's multi-level gallery space is distributed into different height levels and turned into Calleja's playground where two large-format sculptures dominate. The first, titled Little Maurizio, is a tribute to Maurizio Cattelan, a famous sculptor whose self-portrait is reinvented into a big-eyed wooden boy. Additionally, Little Maurizio will also be released in a smaller version, limited to an edition of 75 examples. The larger sculpture, Thinking Boy, symbolizes that "magical moment" in which Calleja's introspection burst into creative stimulation. Produced with Calleja's signature big shiny glass eyes in various types of non-polychrome wood, each sculpture represents both a welcome and farewell point in the installation.
Along with sculptures, the exhibition features eight canvases and 15 drawings of different sizes, that reinforce Calleja's playful portrayal of personal emotions and experiences through the big-eyed character. Calleja continues to experiment with scale, perspective, and different artistic expressions amidst an eclectic setting that keeps the viewer on their toes. –Sasha Bogojev
Javier Calleja's I did, I do, I will do is on view at AishoNanzuka Gallery through December 21, 2019.