Bernat Daviu, master of abstraction
(b.1985, lives and works in Barcelona)
“Central to my practice is the making of images with discordant layers of meaning; addressing the issue of integrating life and art. Painting remains at the core of my production, however, it evolves alongside other disciplines allowing me to expand the potential information inherent in an image.
I am interested in the shift of significance of certain forms caused by time and context. Following this trajectory I have been contrasting the visionary experiments of utopian Modernism with specific situations taken from my personal life. Inevitably, irony is present in many of these juxtapositions,
particularly referring to the commercial and the critical values of art.
I am as much interested in what happens on the surface of my paintings as in what happens around the painting. Performance, video or costume design are other mediums I use to explore the possibilities of images.”
Bernat Daviu (1985, Fonteta). Studied at Central Saint Martins de Londres.
His works and projects have been exhibited at Caixa Forum (Barcelona 2019, Madrid 2020), Cuchifiritos Gallery (Nueva York, 2018), Bombon projects (Barcelona 2018), Fundació Arranz-Bravo (L’Hospitalet, 2017), Fundació Joan Miró (Barcelona,2016), Nau Estruch (Sabadell, 2015), Galeria Balaguer (Barcelona, 2015), Uma certa falta de coerencia (Porto, 2014), Guest Projects (London, 2012), Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool, 2012) or Bienal de Jafre (Jafre, 2009), among others.
“Central to my practice is the making of images with discordant layers of meaning that often address the issue of merging life and art. Painting is present in many of my projects, alongside video, costume-design, food or performance; mediums that allow me to generate social dynamic situations in the physical and collective space.
I am interested in the shifts of meaning caused by time and context, allowing new imaginaries to emerge. References to Modern art are recurrent in my work. These are entangled with my own personal life and other anonymous stories in order to question established forms and ideas. Irony is present in many of these juxtapositions, particularly referring to the conflict between the commercial and the critical values of art.
The activation of the work is a very important part of my projects, it is for this reason that I often collaborate with other artists such as dancers and filmmakers or people from other fields in order to enhance these situations.”
Studies
2005-2008 Central Saint Martin’s: BA (Hons) Fine Art (1st Class Honours), London, UK
Exhibitions
2023
Deep Frieze (with Rasmus Nilaussen), Torreloft, Copenhagen (duo show)
Good evening. Do not attempt to adjust the radio. There is nothing wrong., Belo campo, Galeria Francisco Fino, Lisboa (group show)
2022
Intenció poètica, MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona), 2022-2023 (group show)
M.A.C.B.A, MACBA (Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona), 2022 (performance)
The galleries show, Bombon at Office Baroque, 2022 (group show)
ARCO (with Joana Escoval and Enric Farrés Duran), Bombon projects, Madrid (fair)
2021
CLUBS -Art a la pista, Freedonia, Barcelona (festival)
Just abans de la mort de la pintura, MAC, Mataró (solo)
I’ve got a suitcase of memories…, Joey Ramone, Rotterdam (group show)
Intruders, Fundació Tàpies, Barcelona (performance/workshop)
Villa Rosita, curated by Pol Ricart and Sjors Bindels (group show)
Sala d’espera, Bombon projects, Barcelona (solo show)
2020
Vearitat i mentida en l’art contemporani, Centre d’Art Maristany, Sant Cugat del Vallés (group show)
Dos espacios, Galeria Angels, Barcelona (group show)
Ara mateix, Arts Santa Mònica, Barcelona (group show)
Greatest hits, Bombon projects summer space (group show)
The Drawing lesson, Museu de Capellades (group show)
2019
E gira tutto intorno alla Stanza, Caixa Forum, Madrid (performance)
10 anys, Fundació Arranz-Bravo, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (group show)
Sunday Art Fair, London (fair, duo show with Anna Dot)
Vernissage sur l’herbe, FESTUS, Torelló (performance)
La pintura. Un reto permanente, Caixa Forum, Barcelona (group show)
Coctel de gambes, Calella de Palafrugell (group show)
Premi de pintura Francesc Gimeno, Museu de Tortosa (group show)
Le Lucky, curated by Josep Maynou, HVW8, Berlin (group show)
2018
NADA Miami, Miami, USA (fair, duo show with Pere Llobera)
La gran tornada, Soho House El Garraf (performance)
Jornada Garrofista, Arts Santa Mònica, Barcelona (performance)
Inmarchitables, Cuchifritos Gallery, New York, USA (group show)
Apaño (Angela de la Cruz, Vasilis Asimakopoulos, Bernat Daviu), Bombon projects, Barcelona (group show)
2017
Loop Discover Award, Loop Film Festival, Antiga Fàbrica Damn, Barcelona (group show)
Sublimey (group show with Marc Badia and Luis Guerra), Hans and Fritz, Barcelona (group show)
Garrofistes, Fundació Arranz-Bravo, l’Hospitalet de Llobregat (solo show)
Trobada Garrofista (Forever Blowing Bubbles), MACBA, Barcelona (performance)
2016
Guanyar-se les garrofes (Forever Blowing Bubbles), Fundació Miró, Barcelona, Spain (Loop film festival)
Slow, thick fingers, Kingsgate Project Space, London, UK (group show)
2015
Còctel Show, Galeria Balaguer, Barcelona, Spain (solo show)
Forever Blowing Bubbles, Nau Estruch, Sabadell, Spain (group show)
Aleksandr Rodhcenko’s Stuffed Olive: Bernat Daviu / Redestinar: Bruno Ollé i Nikita Routchenko, The Laboratory, Barcelona, Spain (duo show with Bruno Ollé)
2014
Sacsejar la mirada, Unzip, El Prat, Spain (group show)
Un Francès, un Anglès i un Espanyol, La Puntual, St Cugat, Spain (group show)
Act I. A Way Home, The LivingRoom, London, UK (group show)
En algun punt de la línia, Uma Certa falta de Coerencia, Porto, Portugal (solo show)
Painted Realities, Hanmi Gallery, London, UK (group show)
2013
Bernat Daviu and Joan Saló, PictoBCN, El Siglo, St.Cugat, Spain (presentation)
Fundació Vila Casas Painting Award, Can Framis Museum, Barcelona, Spain (group show)
Suspense (with Alaena Turner), UCL, London, UK (duo show with Alaena Turner)
2012
John Moores Painting Prize, Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool Biennial, Liverpool, UK (group show)
20 Rue de Jacob – A Salon for Performance and Other Happenings, Galleria Rajatila, Tampere, Finland (group show)
What do you do?, Intervention in LAUDA’s headquarters, Lauda-Königshofen, Germany (solo show)
What do you do?, Palau de Casavells, Casavells, Spain (solo show)
Orchestrated, Studio One Gallery, Cato Hall, London, UK (group show)
Shelves, Chairs and Boiler suits, Tollbodallmenningen 39, Bergen, Norway (group show)
2011
Stuff on the wall, on the floor, floating in the air…, Guest Projects, London, UK (group show)
The Public House- a pop-up home for performance, Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, London, UK (group show)
Art Barter, C arte C, Madrid, Spain (group show)
2010
Drive Thru (Old Bridge), with Harry Blackett and Sam Whittaker, Deptford X Festival, London, UK (group show)
From London With Love, Wanha Woimala, Vaajakoski, Finland (group show)
The Real Van Gogh Part 2, Studio 1 Gallery, London, UK (solo show)
‘The decade 2010-2020’ The Museum as hostage to fortune’, Pigeon Wing Gallery, London, UK (group show)
2009
Pintura Democràtica, IV Bienal de Jafre, Jafre, Spain (group show)
Splash Paintings, Galeria Miquel Alzueta, Barcelona (solo show)
Underground Temple For Paintings, with Harry Blackett at Next Art Fair, Chicago (duo show with Harry Blackett)
The Little Show, Studio 1 Gallery, London, UK (group show)
Group Show, Galeria Miquel Alzueta, Barcelona (group show)
2008
Jesús was an artist … Galeria Miquel Alzueta, Casavells, Spain (solo show)
CSM 08 Degree Show, Central Saint Martins, London, UK (group show)
2007
Exporta-accions, Castell de la Bisbal d’Empordà, La Bisbal d’Empordà, Spain (group show)
Super-heroes, Galeria Marita Segovia, Madrid, Spain (solo show)
Da! Tottenham Court Road, London, UK (group show)
Publications
Whose language does the produce speak?, Artist Alliance inc, 2018
Garrofistes -Bernat Daviu, Fundació Arranz-Bravo, 2017
Artist film and video today, Loop Barcelona, 2016
Porró, Apis press, Norway, 2014
Fundació Vila Casas painting award, Barcelona, 2013
PictoBCN, Barcelona, 2013
What do you do?, Casavells, Spain, 2012
John Moores Painting Prize, Walker Art Gallery, UK, 2012
Shelves, Charis and Boilersuits, Apis press, Norway, 2012
From London with Love (limited edition of 200 copies), Finland, 2010
‘The decade 2010-2020’ The Museum as hostage to fortune’, An Endless Supply, UK, 2010
Artists’ Impressions of Spaces for Paintings, An Endless Supply, UK, 2010
Underground Temple for Paintings, An Endless Supply, UK, 2010
Residencies and workshops
2018 Artist Alliance, New York, USA
2015 Nau Estruch, Sabadell, Spain
2012 Experimental cinema workshop by Walter Temporelli, Hangar, Barcelona. Screening at Caixa Forum, Barcelona
2011 Retreat residency, Paradise Lost, Cumbria, UK
Originally published at https://artmiamimagazine.com/bernat-daviu-master-of-abstraction/
