Javier Arce

b. Santander, Spain, 1973

Javier Arce (b. Santander, Spain, 1973) is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work ranges from abstract scenes of nature painted on raw linen to assemblages incorporating traditional North African Fabrics and photography. Arce’s work draws on a variety of references, extracted from readings across the spectrum of plant philosophy, gardening, anthropology and poetry.

Arce’s oil paintings depict vivid natural scenes of trees and blooming wildflowers, which are stretched on repurposed untreated wood sourced from the artist’s countryside environment in Cantabria. Arce appropriates the classical bucolic settings of landscape painting, but embraces a lyricism and dream-like approach to nature that borders on abstraction. Images of trees and water dissolve into raw canvas and form areas of bursting color. Arce draws inspiration from Fauvism and the 19th century Barbizon school of natural realist painters, as well as contemporary literary and scientific authors. His irregular compositions allude to the natural world that is bent to an artist’s desires, rather than wholly reigned in or perfected. Using cuttings from hazel, oak, ash, and eucalyptus trees as his canvas supports, Arce embraces imperfect knobby edges that force the canvas to bulge and dip.

The artist draws inspiration from the scientific theories of gardener Gilles Clement, botanist Francis Hallé, as well as poetry and eco-fiction by authors like Richard Powers. In discussions of his work, he references the theories of philosopher Michael Marder, who centers non-human living beings as ethical models. Marden identifies the existential features of plant behavior such as their unique temporality, freedom, and material knowledge or wisdom, and posits "plant-thinking" as an aspirational model for human thought. During the pandemic, when Arce had reduced access to painting supplies, he began to seek collaboration with the surrounding natural world. In repurposing logs originally cut for his chimney as handmade frames, Arce considers the role of the cabin and rural living as informing the history of his work, a gateway to more generous and ecological approaches to food, labor, and territory. His paintings reveal the artist’s perspective of rural communitarianism and social realignment with nature.

Javier Arce has a degree in Engraving from the Escuela de Artes Aplicadas in Oviedo and his Honors Degree in Fine Art at the Basque Country University. He received his Masters in Sculpture from the Wimbledon School of Fine Art. He was granted with The International Studio and Curatorial Program in New York in 2008. He received in 2007 the Mención de Honor Generación 2007 in Madrid. He was also awarded By Fundación de Arte y Derecho the same year and by Marcelino Botín Foundation the year before. His work is included in numerous collections such as Caja Madrid; Marcelino Botín Foundation; ARTIUM Museum, Vitoria; the Coca-Cola Foundation; Santander Museum of Fine Arts; CAB, Burgos; MUSAC, León; Fundación El Monte, Seville; La Caixa Foundation Contemporary Art Collection; IVAM Mueum or DKV Collection, Valencia, etc.