Exhibition by Mexican artist Javier Peláez

“A possible garden”, the new exhibition by Mexican artist Javier Peláez

The exhibition “A possible garden” was inaugurated on November 7 and can be visited until the 30th of the same month. In addition to the works of Javier Peláez, he has a special invitation: that of the Spanish artist Alain Urrutia.

Javier Peláez continues to expand his career in Latin American art. On this occasion, he does so through “A possible garden”, his new exhibition in which he explores the duality of nature and beauty from different types of flowers. The exhibition is at Casa Siza, Mexico City, and has the collaboration of Galería Saenger.
The author

Javier Peláez was born in Mexico City in 1976. He graduated from the University of La Salle with a degree in Architecture. However, for more than 20 years he has been known for his work as a visual artist.

His main means of exploration are painting and drawing. He has participated in numerous exhibitions, both individual and collective, in Mexico and in other countries around the world.

Some of the most recent are “Reconfigurations” (Museo de Arte de Sonora, 2020), “Al borde de un plica” (Galería de Arte Antonio López Sáenz, 2021) and “Blue Lotus” (Galería Saenger, 2024).

He is currently presenting “A possible garden”, his new solo exhibition. It was inaugurated on November 7 and can be visited until the 30th of the same month at Casa Siza, in collaboration with Galería Saenger.
The keys to the exhibition

“A possible garden” presents some of the recurring themes of Peláez's work, although approached from a current perspective.

Curated by Christian Barragán, the exhibition comprises a total of 9 sets, each of them made up of up to 16 works.

Flowers are the main protagonists of the show. Peláez recreates the lily, the chrysanthemum, the lady of the night, the black iris, the poppy, the daturas and the azalea.

At first glance, their beauty and their loveliness can be appreciated. However, their complex essence can also be perceived, in which danger and mystery are presented in a latent form.

The key is found in the chemical composition of the flowers. Some are toxic, poisonous. Others are used as recreational drugs. A special case is that of the poppy, which contains elements that are used to manufacture derivatives of morphine and opium.
A unique experience

One of the central concepts of the exhibition lies in the contrast between the potential for beauty and danger found in each flower.

The idea puts the spectators in tension and places them in an active role. In the same way that the artist immerses himself in the duality of the beauty that attracts and the threat that lurks, the audience is attracted by the mysteries of nature.

The exhibition works as a pictorial garden that transmits peace and harmony. As an extrapolation, it disturbs and invites us to wonder about the complexity of beauty and the elements that are found in it and may not be healing.
The author's words

Javier Peláez explains that flowers are one of the pillars of his work. And he remembers that he began painting them about 12 years ago.

He emphasizes that his perspective today is more linked to deconstruction and disarticulation. In other words, he is interested in taking apart the key components of the flower to then build a different version.

On the other hand, he emphasizes that he appreciates nature from a distance, not in the middle of it, but from the experience of living in the big city. And he describes beauty as a swampy surface, something that is present in the questions inherent to the exhibition.
A special invitation

Months ago, Casa Siza hosted an exhibition by Alain Urrutia, a prominent Spanish artist who was born in Bilbao in 1981.

On that occasion, Urrutia's exhibition included a work by Peláez. Now, the Mexican artist returns the favor and gives the Spaniard a place in his exhibition.

But the presence of a work by Urrutia in “A Possible Garden” is much more than a return of favors. The exchange generates a visual conversation that broadens the meaning of the exhibitions of both artists. In addition, it positions Casa Siza as a space for international artistic dialogue.
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