Sandra Javera: Arts and Books
About the Installation: In this installation at Book Culture LIC, the bookstore was occupied by four major interventions that focused on Javera’s enthusiasm for books. The works sought to reveal how the creation of visual narratives and the treatment of space in a dynamic manner are relevant components of the artist’s work.
Then She Understood Two Great Passions: Art and Books
It was a rainy afternoon and I was late for our meeting. When I looked at her, all I noticed was that she was carrying this nice notebook: half calendar, half blank pages full of notes and drawings. Composed by lines playing on paper that were twisted, swirling, winding, going straight on their ways to create words, forms and figures.
I have seen her around, she had a familiar look, but I have never talked to her before. I don’t exactly remember my question, but the answer still echoes on me: “I love books. I like everything about them: papers, paints, colours, bindings, people reading.”
Sandra Javera is an artist whose work has multiple connections to books. She has not only illustrated a great number of texts, but also developed an extensive research on book making and its relationships with art. The installation at Book Culture LIC presents how this enthusiasm permeates Sandra’s work at large, and reveals how the creation of visual narratives and the treatment of space in a dynamic manner are relevant components of her practices as an artist. Composed by a selection of works produced in the last five years and new pieces created specially for the bookstore, the installation also traces the intricate connection between commissioned works on illustration and significant independent visual arts projects. Together, they reinforce the book, in its multiple formats, as a significant form of art.
In Sandra’s captivating compositions, people, animals, plants, objects and buildings are commonly depicted in relationship creating animated scenes. These figures are carefully selected and their recurrence in different occasions creates a symbolic presence. Not only what is represented, but also how the elements are displayed is key to comprehend the artist’s work. Organized in spaces that are articulated in one or multiple canvases, those scenes have a strong potential for narratives. As do the grid-based layouts with inventories of specific actions or objects in which the book has repeatedly been a protagonist.
Let your imagination flow with the fascinating characters and spaces created by Sandra Javera.
