JORGE NAVA
Gijón 1980
Biography
Jorge Nava (Gijón 1980) is a Spanish artist. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Painting from the University of the Basque Country from 2000 to 2006. He completed his studies with an Erasmus scholarship at the Kunsthochschule Berlin Weissensee under the guidance of Professor Katherina Grosse. Nava has held fourteen solo exhibitions in private galleries and institutional spaces, with the most recent one taking place in 2021 at Alzueta Gallery in Barcelona. He has also participated in important international art fairs such as ARCO in 2010 and 2011, CIRCA in Puerto Rico from 2007 to 2009, Scope Art Fair in New York in 2008, and Photo Miami Art Basel in 2006, as well as ArtMadrid in 2016 and 2020. Nava has been part of around 30 group exhibitions, including “Las cruces del arte” in Asturias and Brussels in 2008, “La huella de España” at Museo Casa Obra Pía in Havana, Cuba in 2006, and “10 Propuestas de Cerámica Contemporánea en Asturias” at the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias in Oviedo in 2016. In 2007, he won the Asturias Young Plastic Arts Award, and in 2015, he participated in the V Encontros Novos at the City of Culture of Santiago de Compostela and won the AlNorte scholarship, which led to his solo exhibition at the Barjola Museum in Gijón. Recently, he won the second prize at the National Painting Contest Casimiro Baragaño in 2021. Nava’s work is part of collections such as the María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Foundation, Alicia Aza Collection, Talens Foundation in Barcelona, and various private collections in Spain, the United States, Canada, England, Switzerland, and Germany.
Statement
Jorge Nava is an abstract painter who focuses on form, color, and gesturality, exploring the language of painting and enhancing connections between painting and poetry. Starting from improvisation and intuition, without an apparent predetermined discourse, he investigates painting spontaneously, based on sensations directly related to the contemplation of nature, his biography, and personal experiences from each stage of his life. He aims to explore the expressive limits of painting in a direct and simple way. “When I see an artwork of any kind, I always look for one thing: to be moved. I try to achieve the same with my painting, to try to move the viewer.”
Influenced by German Expressionism and American Abstract Expressionism, as well as poetic and philosophical literary references, Nava seeks to approach the essence of painting, reducing his pictorial language to organic forms and strong contrasts of warm colors that transmit energy on white backgrounds, where the materiality, drips, transparencies, and brushstrokes take center stage. “I am interested in transforming my negative energy into positive through art, and for my painting to be connected to what happens around me, to be alive and ever-changing like life itself.”
“I believe that every human being should learn to stop and contemplate what surrounds them and stop thinking. I simply aim to foster that contemplative gaze.”
CV
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Fine Arts, UPV (University of the Basque Country), Bilbao. 2000-2006.
Instagram @jorgenavastudio
SOLO SHOWS
2022
-“PAINTINGS FOR THE BEES,” ONARTSPACE GALLERY, Madrid.
2021
-“POINT AND LINE ON PLANE,” ALZUETA GALLERY, Barcelona.
2018
-“LIKE BEES TO THE HONEY” CCAI. GIJON.
2016
-“VAGOS Y MALEANTES”, ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY. OVIEDO .
2015
-“LA OTRA FAMILIA”, BARJOLA MUSEUM. GIJON.
-“PAYASOS”, VALEY, CULTURAL CENTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS.
2014
-“REMAKES”.NOMADA GALLERY. GIJON.
2013
-“SERES VIVOS”. GUILLERMINA CAICOYA GALLERY OVIEDO.
2011
-“ EL SÓTANO”.CCAI, OLD INSTITUTE, Gijon
-“LA HABITACIÓN DE LA CARNE”. BORÁGINE GALLERY . AVILÉS.
2010
-“SÓTANO TV”.ARTIST’S STUDIO. GIJON.
2009
-“A NINGUNA PARTE”. ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY. GIJÓN.
2008
-“TODAVIA VIVO”. BORRÓN HALL. OVIEDO.
2006
-“ADITAMENTOS”. ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY. GIJON
2004
-“ TODO LO MÍO”. BORRON HALL. OVIEDO.
Group shows
2023
–Encuentro. ARMA GALLERY, Madrid, Spain.
-Estampa – ARMA GALLERY, MADRID, SPAIN.
-Estampa – ARMA GALLERY, MADRID, SPAIN.
-Art Madrid – ARMA GALLERY, MADRID, SPAIN.
2021
-CASIMIRO BARAGAÑA NATIONAL COMPETITION. SECOND PRIZE.
2020
-“PAINTING IN THE VEINS,” BARJOLA MUSEUM, Gijon.
-OVIEDO ART FAIR, ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY.
-AFFORDABLE ART FAIR, GALLERIA BR, London.
-ARTMADRID, ALZUETA GALLERY.
2019
-MANCHESTER CONTEMPORARY ART FAIR, ESPACIO LIQUIDO GALLERY.
-LUARCA NATIONAL COMPETITION, SELECTED. 2019 OPEN STUDIOS GLOGAUAIR RESIDENCE, Berlin.
2018-2019
-LUARCA NATIONAL COMPETITION, SELECTED.
2018
-FISKARSAIR RESIDENCE, Finland.
-ARTMARBELLA ART FAIR, ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY.
-JUSTLX LISBON FAIR, ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY.
-“INTENSA” BANCO SABADELL-HERRERO HALL, Oviedo.
2017
-LUARCA NATIONAL COMPETITION, SELECTED.
2016
-OVIEDO ART FAIR, ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY.
-CASIMIRO BARAGAÑA NATIONAL COMPETITION, SELECTED.
-“PRIMITIVE STRUCTURE” JORGE NAVA & JOB SANCHEZ, ESPACIO LIQUIDO GALLERY, Gijon.
-ART MADRID ART FAIR, ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY.
-“BOXES” CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS IN ASTURIAS, MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS OF ASTURIAS, Oviedo.
-ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY, Oviedo.
-BEA VILLAMARIN GALLERY, Gijon.
-ART&BREAKFAST FAIR, ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY, Malaga.
2014
-ARANCHA OSORO GALLERY, Oviedo. 2014 LOLA ORATO GALLERY, Oviedo.
-OVIEDO ART FAIR.
2011
-ECOLAB, LABORAL MUSEUM, Gijon.
-ARCO ART FAIR, ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY.
2010
-ARCO ART FAIR, ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY.
2009
-INTERCELTIC FESTIVAL OF LORIENT, France.
-CIRCA ART FAIR, San Juan, Puerto Rico, ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY.
2008
-SCOPE ART FAIR, New York, ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY.
-“LAS CRUCES DEL ARTE,” Asturias, Madrid, Brussels.
-CIRCA ART FAIR, San Juan, Puerto Rico, ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY.
2007
-FOTO MIAMI ART BASEL, ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY.
-ASTURIAS VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION.
-ART LUARCA NATIONAL COMPETITION.
-PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS DELEGATION IN MADRID.
-“OUTSIDERS,” EPELDE & MARDARAS GALLERY, Bilbao.
-CIRCA ART FAIR, Puerto Rico, ATM ALTAMIRA GALLERY
AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS, RESIDENCIES
2021
-SECOND PRIZE, CASIMIRO BARAGAÑA NATIONAL COMPETITION.
2019
-GLOGAUAIR RESIDENCY, Berlin.
2018
-FISKARSAIR RESIDENCY, Fiskars, Finland.
-SECOND PRIZE, NATIONAL PARK OF PICOS DE EUROPE PAINTING COMPETITION.
2016
-ARTISTIC PRODUCTION GRANT, MUNICIPAL CULTURE FOUNDATION, Gijon.
2015
-V ENCONTROS NOVOS, CIUDAD DE LA CULTURA, Santiago de Compostela.
-AL NORTE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD.
2010
-ARTISTIC PRODUCTION GRANT, MUNICIPAL CULTURE FOUNDATION, Gijon.
2009 and 2007
-FIRST PRIZE, NOREÑA PAINTING COMPETITION.
2007
-FIRST PRIZE, ASTURIAS VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION.
-INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE RESIDENCY WITH ENRRIQUE MARTY, Blanca, Murcia.
2006
-ERASMUS SCHOLARSHIP, KUNSTHOCHSCHULE BERLIN WEISSENSEE, Prof. Katharina Grosse.
2005
-TALENS SCHOLARSHIP.2021
-SECOND PRIZE, CASIMIRO BARAGAÑA NATIONAL COMPETITION.
2019
-GLOGAUAIR RESIDENCY, Berlin.
2018
-FISKARSAIR RESIDENCY, Fiskars, Finland.
-SECOND PRIZE, NATIONAL PARK OF PICOS DE EUROPE PAINTING COMPETITION.
2016
-ARTISTIC PRODUCTION GRANT, MUNICIPAL CULTURE FOUNDATION, Gijon.
2015
-V ENCONTROS NOVOS, CIUDAD DE LA CULTURA, Santiago de Compostela.
-AL NORTE SCHOLARSHIP AWARD.
2010
-ARTISTIC PRODUCTION GRANT, MUNICIPAL CULTURE FOUNDATION, Gijon.
2009 and 2007
-FIRST PRIZE, NOREÑA PAINTING COMPETITION.
2007
-FIRST PRIZE, ASTURIAS VISUAL ARTS EXHIBITION.
-INTERNATIONAL LANDSCAPE RESIDENCY WITH ENRRIQUE MARTY, Blanca, Murcia.
2006
-ERASMUS SCHOLARSHIP, KUNSTHOCHSCHULE BERLIN WEISSENSEE, Prof. Katharina Grosse.
2005
-TALENS SCHOLARSHIP.
COLLECTIONS
-TALENS FOUNDATION, Barcelona.
-PRIVATE COLLECTIONS IN SPAIN, UNITED STATES, CANADA, ENGLAND, GERMANY, SWITZERLAND.
-LA HABANA FINE ARTS MUSEUM, Cuba.
-MARIA CRISTINA MASAVEU PETERSON FOUNDATION.
-ALICIA AZA COLLECTION.
-GOVERNMENT OF THE PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS.
BIBLIOGRAPHY (BOOKS, CATALOGS)
-“PAINTING IN THE VEINS,” BARJOLA MUSEUM, Gijon, 2020.
-“INTENSA,” BANCO SABADELL HALL, Oviedo, 2019.
-“CAJAS,” CONTEMPORARY CERAMICS FROM ASTURIAS, MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS OF ASTURIAS, Oviedo, 2016.
-OVIEDO ART FAIR CATALOG, 2014.
-ARTE Y PARTE MAGAZINE, ISSUE NO. 102, PAGE 92, 2013.
-ARCO ART FAIR CATALOG, 2010.
-CIRCA ART FAIR CATALOG, 2009.
-SCOPE ART FAIR CATALOG, NEW YORK, 2008.
-ART.ES MAGAZINE, ISSUE NO. 12, 13, 16.
