JAVA has been very excited about the show at Franklin 54
ever since Joyce Pommer asked him to do it. He has been exploring
current themes in his painting,
sculpture & mosaic with more depth, influenced from many recent life
events. The passing of his mother
and aunt, the two people that raised him, has sparked an interest in
death and
what comes afterwards. What does
it mean? Why does it happen? What is life and does it end when death
arrives?
Born and raised on the island of Cuba, JAVA has been impressed
with images of natural beauty…the sea, scenic landscapes, and childlike
icons.
These images are recurring and bring a sort of naïveté to his work.
JAVA captures the sense of the free
spirit of a child while reminding his viewer that it is not all fun and
games. There is an end and when
that end comes, nobody knows what follows.
One will see throughout JAVA’s paintings the bold use of
color amidst a mysterious shade of darkness. The dark tones that linger
in his work are a reminder that
all good things must come to an end; but all is not lost if colors
prevail. The characters show
great, detailed emotion and life experience in their eyes and tilted
heads. The townscapes reflect
vivacity and soul with colors and shapes so brilliant they are almost
from a
child’s fantasy.
His sculptures, just as expressive, capture a feeling every
time he works with found objects.
Not only does he receive joy from recycling material that would be
normally considered waste and making it into beautiful shapes but he
also feels
his free spirit is most expressed when creating such work. Working with
many dimensions and
combining several types of media lead JAVA to endless
possibilities…something
very representative of his view on life in general.
JAVA continues his passion for recycling materials with his
brilliant use of broken china (pique assiette in French). He has always
had an attraction to
glass and china from his childhood when he used to search the dumps for
hidden
treasures. JAVA exemplifies the
phrase ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ as he transforms
broken
plates and mugs into pieces of art.
This makes him feel good…especially since he knows this planet we call
Earth is a gift that should be treasured and celebrated. Our physical
existence may cease after
hundreds or even thousands of years but our presence does not if we
create from
our soul.
WHY MOSAICS?
Because I am fascinated with china. As a kid I used to go treasure
hunting
to the dumps where people threw away garbage; so I started to make
sculptures
with found objects among which I included pieces of broken china. Soon
the china took over and I found
myself making mosaics.
Unlike most, I love breaking china when I am happy.
Mainly influenced by Latin American art, I have Universal
influence, but try not to look like anybody.
Although I love painting and sculpting, I appreciate mosaics
because of the shine it brings to my life, because of the possibility of
for
the first time being naïve, and for being able to fix what broke.
My dream: that every time a plate falls they think of me;
not because an angel will get a wing, but because a man will get an eye,
the
sky a moon or the ocean a fish.
I know this beautiful blue planet where we live will one day
be a dump where we wont be able to live anymore: so much CO2 in the air,
so
much waste. It’s up to us to save it by using our imagination.
Mosaic is resourceful and recycling.
Resume Born: Santiago,
Cuba, 1956
Exhibitions
2009, Group show, Franklin 54 Gallery + projects, New York City 2009,
Selected artist, National Payroll Week annual campaign
2009, “An
Exhibition”, two artist show, Jackson Hall Gallery, New York City
2008, “Neo-Mosaics”,
solo show, First Hand Gallery, New York City
2007, “Holiday Art
Show”, featured artist in group show, Jackson Hall Gallery, New York
City
2006, "Two
Visions”, two artist show, Jadite Galleries, New York City
2006, group show,
van der Plas Gallery, New York City
2005,
"Retrospective", solo show, Jadite Galleries, New York City
2005, group show,
van der Plas Gallery, New York City
2004,
"Mosaics", solo show, Jadite Galleries, New York City
2004,
"Mosaics", solo show, Ansonia Pharmacy, New York City
2004, “Cuba”,
Jadite Galleries, New York City
2003, solo
show, Jadite Galleries, New York City
2003, group show,
Franklin 54 Gallery, New York City
2002,
group show, Jadite Galleries, New York City
2001,
"Villages", solo show, Jadite Galleries, New York City
2000,
"Transformation", Chrysler building, New York City
1999, group show,
Gallery @49, New York City
1999, solo show,
Harlem Cultural Center, New York City
1996, “Summer Group
Show”, Gallery M, New York City
1994, "First
Popular Cuban Art Show", Rome, Italy
1993, group show,
Atmosphere, Miami
1990, group show, Diago Gallery, Cuba
1988, group
show, Carribean Gallery, Cuba
Commissions
National Payroll
Week, sponsored by the American Payroll Week Association, 2009
Portrait
commission, Robert Richter, New York City, 2009
Artwork commission,
Helen Schichman, Long Island, New York, 2009
Artwork commission,
Darren Peister, Westchester, New York, 2009
Kitchen commission,
Anthony Matulis, New York City, 2008
Portrait
commission, Scott Cawood, New York City, 2008
Patio commission,
Robert Leach, New York City, 2007
Education Department of
Education Columbia University, New York, New York, M.Ed., 1995
