Javier Martin, Blindness SVA, 2021.
“SVA” – Three letters that can stand for so many things.
Welcome to PULPO’s Spotlight series. One of the first paintings we see when entering Javier Martin’s current exhibition is the work behind me. The title “SVA” gives us an immediate clue to the hidden message behind this collage. Martin takes the viewer on a journey to the world of advertising.
In the glow of the striking purple neon stripe, a sharp face that comes from the perfectly staged world of editorials looks back at us. After the sensation of the first glimpse has been overcome, one recognizes the masterful allusion. Martin effortlessly combines different materials within painting and collage to construct a harmonious composition based on multiple layers. It is left to the curiosity of the viewer to experience what is hidden behind those layers.
Upon a closer look, one can recognize that the letters SVA once were part of a large billboard. They were originally meant to promote a new car, before being carefully selected and repurposed as the focal point of Martin’s artwork. We can even spot the numbers of the individual poster sheets initially instructing the mounting.
