Wrapping up another year spiked with a series of gallery shows, releases, and milestone auction results, Javier Calleja just opened his second solo exhibition with Nanzuka in Tokyo which is presented at two locations— NANZUKA 2G at PARCO in Shibuya, and at transforming gallery space 3110NZ in collaboration with Sushi Saito. Consisting of a site specific installation, a large public sculpture, and a small series of new drawings and paintings, the Japan comeback is also amplified by the release of new merchandise, apparel, and collectibles designed by the artist who was featured in the Spring 2019 Issue.
No Art Here is a sculpture of economy, an installation where Calleja continues experimenting scale and perspective, creating surprises that invite the viewer for a closer look. In this life-size sculpture, a boy wearing a red beanie spears his arm through the wall of the gallery, and a hand slicing through through the wall on the other side of the gallery holding a placard with the words "NO ART HERE!" Relishing the question of how we experience as art, he continually explores the circumstances and context of the act itself.
With typical self-deprecation, this installation is yet another way the Malaga-based artist transcends earlier days when many galleries were not ready for his irreverent humor. Along with this indoor presentation, the gallery is marking the first anniversary of PARCO by displaying the artist's recent large-scale sculpture Heads at its entry, along with some new paintings which are on display at the transforming gallery space 3110NZ, organized in collaboration with Sushi Saito. —Sasha Bogojev