Parnell Gallery is delighted to welcome Pōneke / Wellington based, Spanish sculptor Javier Murcia, to the gallery roster of artists.
Murcia’s sculptural practice explores the profound connections between our physical and cosmic realms, reimagining material form as both a vessel of lived experience and a conduit for universal energies. Characterised by a deeply intuitive sense of form, his works blur boundaries between reality and imagination. Through this interplay, Murcia constructs works that seem to exist between worlds; simultaneously intimate and vast, they invite contemplation of humanity’s place within the greater continuum of existence.
Murcia’s works are distinguished by their palpable material presence and a conceptual synthesis of myth, science, art, and technology. Each large-scale sculpture embodies a fusion of texture and tension, evoking both vulnerability and transcendence. Rooted in an enduring study of anatomy yet freed from classical restraint, his forms expand beyond the physical, occupying a threshold where the tangible and fantastical coalesce.
His MaTi series, titled to reference ‘matter and time’, exemplifies this pursuit: a visually arresting meditation on interconnectedness, the works in this series invite viewers to perceive the natural and cosmic realms as part of a single, unified narrative.
Working with materials such as sand, epoxy resin, plaster, MDF, enamel paint, and LED light, Murcia merges traditional sculptural craftsmanship with contemporary technology. Each sculpture is carefully constructed and layered to create depth and luminosity, with integrated LED systems that allow the viewer to subtly alter the colour and tone of the light within the circular, wall-mounted forms. This dynamic use of illumination transforms each artwork into a living entity, shifting in mood and resonance as the light changes, and reinforcing Murcia’s fascination with transformation, perception, and the unseen energies that shape existence.
View all available works by Murcia by clicking here.
Born in 1981 in the Canary Islands, Murcia began his artistic training at the University of La Laguna, where an early immersion in fine arts and anatomy profoundly shaped his understanding of structure and movement. In 2010, a formative period in Copenhagen saw him contribute to significant projects, including Christian Lemmerz’s Medusa sculpture, commissioned by the founders of LEGO, and Michael Kvium’s Circus exhibition. Returning to Spain, he completed the large-scale public commission Homenaje al Chicharrero, further refining his command of monumental form.
Since relocating to New Zealand in 2013, Murcia has embarked on a deeply personal artistic evolution. A fortuitous meeting with Sir Richard Taylor led to a lasting creative partnership and patronage, with Taylor becoming an avid collector of Murcia’s work. Expanding upon his acclaimed Oxidations series, Murcia introduced the Eidos series, which was exhibited in Europe in 2019 and in New York in 2020. During the pandemic, he launched Sculpture Studio by Javier Murcia in Wellington, an artistic hub dedicated to exploring the human figure in contemporary sculpture.
Further articles and publications about the artist can be found below.
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