PIPING, WEAVING, AND CONSTRUCTIVISM ARE JUST SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES VISUAL ARTIST JAVIER GONZÁLEZ EMPLOYS TO CREATE FUTURISTIC SCULPTURAL TAPESTRIES. HIS CREATIVE OBJECTIVE IS TO FIND FREEDOM THROUGH HEALING. PATTERNS FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN HIS ARTWORK TO INDICATE THAT PART OF HEALING INVOLVES BREAKING HIS OWN PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR AND THINKING. JAVIER RECOGNIZES THAT THESE PATTERNS ARE GENERATIONAL—HIS ANCESTORS ALSO HANDED DOWN A LEGACY OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ARTISANSHIP. BY EMBRACING THE AFRO-COLOMBIAN PHILOSOPHY OF CARRYING FAMILY LEGACIES THROUGH GENERATIONS, HE ASSUMES THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CONTINUING HIS FAMILY’S LEGACY THROUGH HIS ARTWORK. JAVIER IS ALSO INFLUENCED BY AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE IN DETROIT AND THE DISCIPLINE AND AESTHETICS OF CHANEL COUTURE. THE COMMON THREAD IN HIS ART IS RESISTANCE TO SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONS AND CONVENTIONS. HE DEVELOPS THIS PRACTICE BY USING A WIDE RANGE OF BLINGY, COLORFUL, RUSTIC, NEW, AND FOUND MATERIALS. WHEN ASKED WHAT HIS MEDIUM IS, HE LOVES TO REPLY: EVERYTHING.
ROADMAPS TO FREEDOM
“THIS SERIES IS ABOUT RECLAIMING KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WHERE I COME FROM,” JAVIER GONZÁLEZ SAYS ABOUT ROADMAPS TO FREEDOM. “I WANTED TO FIND OUT ABOUT MY ROOTS, MY INDIGENOUS ROOTS, MY BLACK ROOTS.” AS RACE CONTINUES TO BE DIVISIVE IN HIS ADOPTED COUNTRY, SO IT WAS WITH JAVIER’S LIFE AND FAMILY IN BOGOTÁ, COLOMBIA. BLACKNESS AS SECRET. INDIGENEITY AS RUMOR. THERE IS MUCH ABOUT HIS FAMILY’S HISTORY THAT HE KNOWS HE MAY NEVER CONFIRM. BUT PROMPTED BY DISCUSSIONS WITH DETROIT ARTIST COLLEAGUES JAVIER REALIZED THAT HE COULD EDUCATE HIMSELF ABOUT THE AFRICAN HISTORY OF A COUNTRY HE THOUGHT HE WANTED TO LEAVE BEHIND.
THIS LED TO RESEARCH ON THE AFRO-COLOMBIAN CULTURE OF SAN BASILIO DE PALENQUE, A SMALL WALLED VILLAGE NEAR CARTAGENA AND THE FIRST FREE AFRICAN TOWN IN THE AMERICAS. FOUNDED IN THE 1600S BY PEOPLE WHO ESCAPED ENSLAVEMENT, PALENQUE’S INHABITANTS TYPICALLY USED ART AS A MEANS OF LIBERATION—A FACT THAT FASCINATES JAVIER WHOSE OWN PRACTICE MOVES TOWARD FREEDOM AND HEALING. THE PALENQUE’S MUSIC, DANCE, TEXTILES, EVEN BRAIDED HAIRSTYLES WERE NOT ONLY CULTURAL FORMS BUT ALSO LITERAL MAPS THAT INCLUDED CODES, MESSAGES, AND A UNIQUE CREOLE LANGUAGE BASED ON SPANISH. THE BRAIDS IN THEIR HAIR CHARTED SAFE TRAVEL ROUTES, FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE SEEDS SEWN INTO THE LINING OF THEIR CLOTHES HELPED ENSURE THEIR SURVIVAL.
“BY FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF THE PEOPLE OF PALENQUE,” THE ARTIST EXPLAINS, “I ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF CRAFTSMANSHIP AND ARTISANSHIP HANDED DOWN TO ME FROM MY OWN ANCESTORS.” EVEN AS SOME ANSWERS ABOUT JAVIER’S FAMILY LINEAGE MAY REMAIN ELUSIVE, THE ROADMAPS TO FREEDOM SERIES IS AN ACT BY THE ARTIST OF RECLAMATION AND RECONCILIATION. ITS BOLD COLORS, FOUND OBJECTS, EMBELLISHMENT, AND WOVEN PATTERNS ARE ALSO A CELEBRATION OF A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE AND THE SPIRIT OF ENDURANCE.
ESTABLISHING BOUNDARIES
(I’M)POSSIBLE TO BREAK
INTERSECTING PATHS
MY WATERMELONESS
NOT SO FAST
TEMPERING MY FIRE
FAMILY TREE
TREES HAVE BEEN A FAVORITE SUBJECT OF EXPLORATION FOR JAVIER GONZÁLEZ SINCE THE EARLIEST DAYS OF HIS ART PRACTICE. THIS TIME, HE DEPICTS THEM TO SYMBOLIZE INHERITED ASPECTS OF HIS PERSONALITY. FOLLOWING IN THE TRADITION OF THE AFRO-COLOMBIAN CULTURE FROM SAN BASILIO DE PALENQUE, JAVIER CONSCIOUSLY PERPETUATES HIS FAMILY LEGACY. BY CREATING THE FAMILY TREE SERIES, HE ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR INTEGRATING THE OPPOSING POLES OF HIS PERSONALITY IN ORDER TO BRING THEM INTO BALANCE.
THIS SERIES REPRESENTS A LIFETIME COMMITMENT TO SELF-ACCEPTANCE. ON ONE HAND, JAVIER TAKES PRIDE IN AND ELEVATES THE POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES THAT HE HAS INHERITED FROM HIS ANCESTORS. ON THE OTHER, HE EMBARKS ON A PROCESS OF REPLACING JUDGMENT WITH UNCONDITIONAL LOVE FOR CHARACTERISTICS THAT ARE NOT CONDUCIVE TO HIS WELL-BEING. INSTEAD OF DISGUISING OR AVOIDING THEM, HE FACES THEM HEAD-ON WITH INTENTIONALITY IN ORDER TO DO THE WORK NECESSARY TO HEAL THEM.
THE TREES’ OUTSTRETCHED LIMBS JUXTAPOSED WITH NEON, PATTERNED GROUNDS ARE METHODICAL YET THEY ARE ALSO ENTHUSIASTIC, FULL-TO-BURSTING. SHOULD ORDER YIELD THIS MUCH THRILL? HERE, JAVIER’S LOVE OF THE FASHION HOUSE CHANEL’S AESTHETIC IS ON FULL DISPLAY. FASHION INSPIRES ALL OF HIS WORK, BUT THESE PAINTINGS HAVE STYLE. WHAT EMERGES FROM THIS WORK IS JAVIER’S PROCESS OF RECOGNIZING KARMIC NARRATIVES FROM HIS ANCESTORS AND INTENTIONALLY CREATING HIS OWN. BY RELEASING THE HOPE THAT THE PAST COULD SOMEHOW HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT, HE HAS FINALLY ARRIVED AT FORGIVENESS.
COURAGEOUS AND STRONG
CREATIVE AND INGENIOUS
EXUBERANT
LOVING AND CARING
ORIGINALITY
PERSEVERANCE
RESPECTFUL
SPIRITUAL
SUPPORTIVE AND ENCOURAGING
SCARS BECOME STARS
WHEN WE ARE ON THE PRECIPICE OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE OUR LOWEST MOMENT, THE POSSIBILITY OF RISING STILL EXISTS. THIS IS THE LIVED EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE UPLIFTING WORKS IN JAVIER GONZÁLEZ’ SCARS BECOME STARS SERIES. THE SERIES, WHICH INCLUDES FORMS, MATERIALS, AND COLORS THAT REFERENCE THE CELESTIAL—SILVER ORBS, BRIGHT GALAXY-LIKE SWIRLS AND STARS MADE OF CRYSTAL—DATES TO EARLY 2018 WHEN THE ARTIST BEGAN TO ASSESS HIS LIFE AND HOW HE HAD ARRIVED AT THAT MOMENT. WHAT WAS JAVIER’S OWN RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS LIFE’S DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS? WHAT WERE HIS OWN FAILINGS? AND, HOW COULD HE OVERCOME THE DAMAGING NARRATIVES—COLONIAL, SOCIAL, GENERATIONAL, AND INTERNAL—THAT INFORMED HIS SELF-PERCEPTION AND SHAMED HIM INTO VIEWING HIS STRENGTHS AS WEAKNESSES? JAVIER’S ARRIVAL AT THIS CROSSROADS OF QUESTIONING AND DISCOVERY WAS NOTHING SHORT OF TRANSFORMATIVE: THE WOUNDS IN HIS LIFE, INCLUDING A LIFE CHANGING KIDNEY TRANSPLANT SURGERY, BEGAN TO HEAL.
THE STUDIES THAT COMPRISE THE SERIES CRAWLING BEFORE WALKING SERVE AS THE POINT OF ORIGIN FOR JAVIER GONZÁLEZ’ SIGNATURE “PIPING” TECHNIQUE. JAVIER HAD BEEN A TRADITIONAL PAINTER, BUT HE WANTED TO INFUSE HIS ARTWORK WITH GREATER TEXTURE AND HIGH RELIEF. IN 2012, THE LOOK AND TEXTURE OF SILLY STRING CAUGHT HIS ATTENTION AND HE DECIDED TO EMBARK ON A JOURNEY TO EMULATE THEM IN HIS ART. HE BEGAN TO EXPERIMENT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS WITH DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES.
JUAN BAUTISTA
JUMP THE FUCK OFF ALREADY
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
KING BENKOS
MAKING PEACE WITH WHAT COULDN'T BE
SCARS BECOME STARS
CRAWLING BEFORE WALKING
THE STUDIES THAT COMPRISE THE SERIES CRAWLING BEFORE WALKING SERVE AS THE POINT OF ORIGIN FOR JAVIER GONZÁLEZ’ SIGNATURE “PIPING” TECHNIQUE. JAVIER HAD BEEN A TRADITIONAL PAINTER, BUT HE WANTED TO INFUSE HIS ARTWORK WITH GREATER TEXTURE AND HIGH RELIEF. IN 2012, THE LOOK AND TEXTURE OF SILLY STRING CAUGHT HIS ATTENTION AND HE DECIDED TO EMBARK ON A JOURNEY TO EMULATE THEM IN HIS ART. HE BEGAN TO EXPERIMENT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS WITH DIFFERENT MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUES.
BY 2016 JAVIER WAS ABLE TO RUDIMENTARILY ACHIEVE SCULPTURAL TECHNIQUE IN WHICH IMAGES PROJECT FROM THEIR BACKGROUND SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN THEIR NATURAL DEPTH. IN CONTRAST TO BAS, OR LOW-RELIEF, HIGH-RELIEF IMAGES CREATED A 3-D EFFECT. IT WASN’T UNTIL 2018, AFTER REQUESTING A TUTORIAL FROM A FORMER PASTRY CHEF, THAT EVERYTHING CHANGED. HE WAS ABLE TO INCORPORATE PIPING AS A FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTERISTIC OF HIS WORK.
THE PIPING TECHNIQUE JAVIER DEVELOPED REQUIRES ONGOING AND STUDIED PRACTICE, TRIAL-AND-ERROR, AND PATIENCE. WHILE MOST OF THE STUDIES HE CREATES ARE ON CARDBOARD, SOME EXIST AS DISCRETE THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS, FREED FROM ANY SORT OF BASE OR FOUNDATION. BY TRANSFORMING THE PAINT INTO A MALLEABLE, CLAY-LIKE MATERIAL ON ONE HAND AND A KIND OF TEXTILE ON THE OTHER, JAVIER ACHIEVES A TAPESTRY EFFECT THAT HAS DRAMATICALLY EXPANDED THE DEPTH AND POSSIBILITY OF HIS STORYTELLING. THE PRACTICE HAS ALSO INFORMED HIS EXPLORATIONS OF FAMILY LEGACY (BOTH GRANDMOTHERS SEWED AND QUILTED) AND AFRO-COLOMBIAN AND INDIGENOUS HISTORIES AND ART FORMS. THESE SMALL STUDIES—MOST ARE NO BIGGER THAN AN 8X10 PHOTO; MANY ARE SMALLER—ARE NOT ONLY REFERENCES FOR FUTURE PAINTINGS, THEY ARE DYNAMIC WORKS IN THEIR RIGHT.
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BIO
JAVIER GONZÁLEZ, BORN IN BOGOTA, COLOMBIA IN 1978, IS AN ARTIST BASED IN DETROIT, MICHIGAN. PRIMARILY SELF-TAUGHT, HE DEVELOPED A UNIQUE TECHNIQUE CALLED « PIPING » TO CREATE HIGH RELIEF, COLOURFUL SCULPTURAL TAPESTRIES USING DIVERSE MATERIALS. INFLUENCED BY FASHION, AFRO-COLOMBIAN, AN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURES, JAVIER’S ART REFLECTS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES AND SPIRITUAL LESSONS. HE PARTICIPATED IN THE GRANDMA EXHIBITION AT THE KAYRON GALLERY IN 2020, AND THIS EVENT PROPELLED HIM TO EXPLORE HIS AFRICAN AND INDIGENOUS ROOTS. SUBSEQUENTLY HE BEGAN THE ROADMAPS TO FREEDOM SERIES.
JAVIER FUNDED HIS KIDNEY TRANSPLANT IN 2018 BY AUCTIONING HIS WORK AND HAS CURATED PROJECTS FOR INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE HEIDELBERG PROJECT. HIS ART HAS BEEN FEATURED IN NUMEROUS EXHIBITIONS ACROSS METRO DETROIT, INCLUDING THE BOMBAY SAPPHIRE SERIES, MURALS IN THE MARKET, AND THE POWER OF ABSTRACTION AT THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART.
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