ANTI Antonio Ballester Moreno

Javier Peres is pleased to present ANTI an exhibition of new paintings by the Spanish artist Antonio Ballester Moreno. The exhibition will take place in both our new Mitte gallery space and in our existing Kreuzberg location. The artist will be present.

 

The seemingly naive world of Antonio Ballester Moreno's (b. 1977 Madrid, lives and works in Madrid) colorful and folk-art inspired paintings may seem at first glance retrogressive; his works portray classical subject matter boldly and quickly executed in vibrant and thickly applied acrylics reminiscent at times of art brut. His frequent use of flora and fauna in patterns is reminiscent of the Arts & Crafts movement of the late 19th century; in fact the writings of William Morris, who proclaimed a return to manual labor and artisanship as a counterweight to the industrialized forms of machine-made objects – serve as inspiration for this new series of paintings.

 

Informed by an interest in anarchism, nature, art brut, and favoring the hand-made over the ready-made, the artist's second solo exhibition in Berlin focuses on notions of self sufficiency and the idea of a simplified life – principles expounded by authors like John Seymour. Instinct, nature, anti-capitalism and the innate potential of human beings all resonate in the artist's works, just as much as his works question the tenability of such utopian ideals. By presenting almost generically art historical subject matter, the artist offers a virtual museum filtered through the lens of a child: peasants dancing, a Frank Stella-esque minimal painting, a still life, a portrait of "natives." His faux naïve style imparts a false sense of bucolicism, tempered by his particular brand of humor. Ballester Moreno's practice skillfully navigates the space between artisanship and expression, self-sufficiency and reliance on tradition, and it is with great pleasure that we present this suite of new paintings to begin our Fall 2010 season in Berlin.

 

Antonio Ballester Moreno received his degree in Fine Arts from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Recent solo exhibitions include a self-title exhibition at the Jeong Song Art Center, Seoul, Korea (2009), "Gallo Rojo Gallo Negro" at Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y León, Spain (2008), and "Hunter House and Bear Suit Number Two," Peres Projects, Los Angeles, CA (2008). His works are included in the collection of the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Castilla y León, León, Spain.

 

This new suite of paintings will be on view at Peres Projects Mitte (Große Hamburger Str. 17) through October 2, 2010. Opening hours 11:00 am – 6:00 pm and by appointment.