Home, a Global Matter
The work of Julia Llerena is structured on a clear, almost scientific axis of coordinates, like the axes used in physics to represent the relationship between space, time and motion. Two interesting themes intersect there: the exploration of space, in all its myriad forms; and the exploration of speech as a form of thought and knowledge, for it is through language and naming that we approach the things of the world, make them ours and come to know them.
The motion factor is introduced by the way Llerena carries out her projects: she always begins with an exploration on foot of adjacent terrains linked to her own life experience, where she almost intuitively gathers remnants and detritus, traces of our "life on earth". After that random harvest, the laboratory work begins: she observes, studies and organizes the collected fragments in a classification system based on the elements' material properties, which she uses to weave a new narrative separate from the material history of the objects. The final result is presented to us as an open archive in the gallery, where Llerena carefully arranges all of these elements, revealing their relationships and giving them new meanings. This exercise rooted in the simplicity of repetition, in the act of doing (walking, gathering, touching, seeing and ordering) and the complexity of maintaining it over time (most of Llerena's projects require a fairly long production time) is the foundation on which she constructs the large installations and small interventions we see in this exhibition. Beatriz Escudero
The exhibition catalogue features an essay by Beatriz Escudero
Openning: december 14, 20.00h
Visit: 21 January, 13.00h
GAlLERY
TAGS
Sevilla, 1985
Llerena completed her BFA studies at the University of Seville, the University of Barcelona and the Florence Academy of Fine Arts (2003-2008). In 2014 she earned an MA in Research in Art and Creation from the Complutense University of Madrid.
In 2017 she won a Circuitos award in Madrid and a place in the Blueproject Foundation residency programme in Barcelona. She also participated in the exhibitions L’efecte vora, curated by Anna Dot at SAC/Sant Andreu Contemporani (Barcelona), and DISRUPT, curated by Marlon de Azambuja at Rodriguez Gallery (Poznan, Poland). She also created a site-specific work for the National Museum of Natural Science that same year. In 2016 her work appeared in the group shows ¿Qué sienten, qué piensan los artistas andaluces de ahora? at the CAAC/Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (Seville), 3+3 at the Embassy of Spain in Tokyo, Un lugar y el tiempo at Espacio Odeón (Colombia), and in the ABC stand at ARCO. In 2015, she was one of the artists featured in the exhibition Buscadores de Oro at OTR (Madrid). In 2014 she received the Injuve Prize and was selected to exhibit at Galería Espacio Mínimo after winning the Entreacto competition. She also participated in the Intransit (c arte c) programme and ATELIER, a workshop activity in connection with RETROALIMENTACIÓN, curated by Tiago de Abreu Pinto and Francesco Giaveri at the Sala de Arte Joven managed by the Regional Government of Madrid. In 2013 she showed her work at Mediterranea 16, the Young European Artists Biennial in Ancona, Italy, and participated in the Young Spanish Artists Post-Biennial at the Centro de Arte Contemporáneo of Salamanca (Da2).
Photo by por Irene Clementina
