KETELEER GALLERY is very pleased to introduce "Basajaun in Bremdonck", the second solo exhibition by Spanish artist Javier Pérez (°1968. Bilbao, Spain) with the gallery. The exhibition consist of an entirely new series of bronze sculptures and charcoal drawings, a selection inspired by the rich history and location of the 14th century BREMDONCK farmhouse which was saved from ruin after nearly collapsing under the weight of its own past and which sits surrounded by the rustling of trees witnessing the many stories of the people who pass(ed) through here.

Javier Pérez has a very cyclical vision of time and his new bronze sculptures emerged from the reflection on how everything in nature is in a perpetual state of interdependent transformation. In his new charcoal drawings, Pérez employs light and darkness to reflect on human’s ability to find hope where none is offered and old certainties have dissolved.

Last year’s trying times caused us all to reflect on our place in the whole, on everything we had taken for granted and how our connection with the outside world – the people and the environment that (in)directly surround us - also establishes a sense of connection with ourselves. The title of the exhibition refers to a hairy, man-like creature form Basque mythology called “Basajaun” – meaning “lord of the woods” – who was believed to have taught humans the ways of cultivating the land and who guarded over the woods and the flocks and shepherds in it. It could be considered a gentle though poignant reminder of how precarious and vital our bond with nature is and how it will always need some care and attention if we are to thrive in it.

Artists: Javier Pérez