Javier Banegas
Born: 1974, Spain
Javier Banegas produces close-up still life depictions of items that have been altered by the presence of humans. He explores interaction with these items and, whether it is the shavings from a pencil or paint pots left without lids, gives the impression that someone, somewhere is not quite finished.
Present in all his works is the essence of human interaction and used objects that denote a passing of time. The monumentality Banegas creates by enlarging objects stimulates the viewer to appreciate the inner beauty and meaning of the mundane. Just as one artist would paint flowers in full bloom, Javier Banegas paints objects in a period of transition. The difference being that the subjects of his paintings are inanimate, therefore they are not suspended in life but instead are captured after action.
"Fourteen years have passed since I saw the first work by Javier Banegas, a little mixed technique which represents an electric mechanism, a coil perhaps, from which two wires showed to have done their duty for a long time. It was neither especially extraordinary for its refined technique, nor shocking for its dimensions and, what is more, I remember it as a simple composition. However, the intimacy and the veneration for the mentioned object that the work inspired seduced me immediately.
Reading the interesting introduction that Javier Rubio wrote about the last individual exhibition of Javier Banegas's works, where he describes the 'thunderous silence' present in it, I cannot but join his thesis and reflect on it. Thinking, for instance, that silence reflects the elimination of the noise of the unnecessary things, the synthesis of the substantial and that, in despite of the passage of years, those qualities were already present in his first works.
Ever since his inception, Javier has developed and enriched his plastic language. He has also increased the influences and experiences that affect his work, in order to emerge himself more clearly.
In spite of being a realist artist, Javier Banegas suggests much more than he relates. He evokes more than he specifies. He tells more about what he hides than about what he shows. As a result, a 'human dehumanization' takes place in his work. It is difficult to find people represented in his paintings, but despite this fact, his repeated main characters are the passing of time and the human mark.
Realist painting is sometimes accused of being excessively explicit. However, in this sense, Javier's work turns out more suggestive than narrative. If saying much with a few words is a good communicator's virtue, I have to conclude saying that the evoking ability of a work speaks very well about itself and better about the artist it was created by." - Santiago S. Echeberría, extract from Echoes of Time
For purchase enquiries and costs, or to arrange a viewing, please contact our team at info@plusonegallery.com or phone the gallery directly on 020 7730 7656.
Christmas Group Show
10 Dec 2024 - 14 Jan 2025A. Averbach, J. Banegas, T. Betts, J. Bodin, P. Cadden, P. Campos, A. Castellanos, F. Chartier, S. Kaluza, C. Klein, V. Klevenskiy, A. Klimas, L. Kloosterboer, I. Levashov, C. Marsh, T. Martin, V. Muller, G. Semple, A. Sheversky, A. Smart, P. Smolko, F. Stile, A. Tough, J. Wessmark, D. Wojtkiewicz & C. WylieRead moreChristmas Show
Group Show14 Dec 2023 - 22 Jan 2024We are thrilled to celebrate Christmas with our artists by having a group show. This will start on 14th December 20203 and will run until 22nd January 2024. If you...Read moreCoronation, Group Show 2023
3 May - 6 Jun 2023We are pleased to announce our Group Show, 'Coronation' running from 3rd May until 6th June 2023. May 6th will be a day to remember as it is the coronation...Read moreSummer Group Show 2021
21 Jun - 31 Aug 2021We are delighted to announce our most recent exhibition Summer Show, 2021 featuring a fantastic wide range of new paintings by our artists! There is also a virtual reality version...Read moreSummer Show 2019
9 Jul - 6 Sep 2019We are back with our annual Summer Show, our first group exhibition since relocating. More information to follow and full artisr list tbc...Read more50 Years of Realism - Photorealism to Virtual Reality
Rio de Janeiro (21 May - 29 July), Brazil7 Nov 2018 - 29 Jul 2019The aim of ’50 Years of Realism – From Photorealism to Virtual Reality’ is to present to the Brazilian audience a rich exhibition of a few well-established contemporary hyperrealist artists...Read moreHyperrealism
Museu del Tabac, Andorra21 Jun - 30 Sep 2018Hyperrealism is an art form that is of significant importance in our contemporary society today and one that continues to develop as technology advances.Read more
Surrounded by images, signage, advertisements and mass-media in general, it has been said that the world in which we live, shapes and transforms our experience to the point that “reality” is recognised only when it is re-produced. The fine line between reality and our media- saturated culture is increasingly blurred.Winter Show
17 Jan - 10 Feb 2018Our annual group exhibition. Starting off the new year right with amazing new works by our gallery artists and showcasing new artists to the gallery.Read moreJavier Banegas: Colour Notion
8 Nov - 2 Dec 2017Plus One Gallery is pleased to announce the solo show, Colour Notion, by gallery artist Javier Banegas (b. 1974, Madrid, Spain). This exhibition will feature new paintings which continue to...Read moreWinter Show
24 Jan - 25 Feb 2017Plus One Gallery is pleased to present the annual group exhibition, ‘Winter Show’, expect to see new works from many Gallery artists as well as several new artists works featuring...Read moreOfficial Opening
Plus One Gallery: Battersea Reach20 Sep - 15 Oct 2016To celebrate our relocation to Battersea Reach, Plus One gallery will have an official opening event on Tuesday 20th September. There will be many new works by gallery artists unveiled...Read moreSUMMER SHOW, 2016
Battersea Reach20 Jul - 3 Sep 2016Plus One Gallery is delighted to announce that the forthcoming Summer Show, 2016 will take place at our new gallery in Battersea Reach. Look forward to viewing an array...Read moreJavier Banegas Solo Show
10 Feb - 5 Mar 2016Plus One Gallery is pleased to announce the solo show of gallery artist, Javier Banegas (b. 1974, Madrid, Spain). This exhibition features new paintings which continue to examine Banegas’ interest in depicting used objects, devoid of human presence but reminiscent of their trace. The works adopt the popular hyper realist tendency of dramatically increasing the scale of the actual object, which in turn abstracts the still life paintings. The artist works in a traditional hyper realist manner, yet his subject matter takes an alternative turn.Read more20|21 International Art Fair 2015
Royal College of Art Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU14 - 17 May 2015Stand 39 Now in its ninth year, this 'boutique’ fair showcases modern and contemporary art from around the world. There are also a number of dealers who specialise in work...Read moreSUMMER SHOW
Works by Gallery Artists11 - 28 Jun 2014A mid-year group show to kick off the summer season.Read more
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PLUS ONE GALLERY
September 2001 - September 2021 September 20, 2021This week Plus One Gallery is 20 years old! It is 20 years since we first opened our doors in Seymour Place on the 17th...Read moreFeel Like We’re Living in Surreal Times?
Let These 5 Leading Hyperrealist Artists Ground YouMarch 20, 2020Pedro Campos - 'Simply Delicious' oil on canvas, 114 x 162 cm Pedro Campos’s still lifes have an air-tight precision, with cans of Coca-Cola, glass...Read moreHiperrealisme | 21 Jun - 30 Sept | Museu del Tabac, Andorra
July 3, 2018Read moreArtist in Focus: Javier Banegas
November 15, 2017‘Composition in Primary Colours’ oil on panel, 55 x 198 cm Quick Review Born: 1974, Madrid Spain Studied: 1998, Bachelor of Fine Arts -...Read moreWhy Painting Maintains a Significant Role in a World of Instant Images
May 11, 2016In a world where high-tech photography and instant photo messaging is available at our fingertips, what does hyperrealism give us that photography cannot?Read more