Fernando Velazquez is a Spanish artist based in Dorset. Velazquez's art has intrigued his audience for many years, challenging the viewers to confront his personal vision of today's world whilst offering an art that transcends time and space. In his own words 'my art is a reflection of the world around us, a world that I see as a mysterious place, where painting reveals the true nature
Fernando Velazquez is a Spanish artist based in Dorset. Velazquez's art has intrigued his audience for many years, challenging the viewers to confront his personal vision of today's world whilst offering an art that transcends time and space. In his own words 'my art is a reflection of the world around us, a world that I see as a mysterious place, where painting reveals the true nature of human kind'. For the last 20 years, Fernando Velazquez has shown a unique universe of images born from light and dramatic passages of dark fields, offering an art of extreme emotions, a journey towards understanding the power of communicating through painting, 'I believe that art is capable of influencing change whilst creating new life'. Simon Groom writes: 'Velazquez's paintings are not slick one-trick wonders aiming for an immediacy of impact, happy simply to gratify the senses, nor they seem to belong immediately to any particular school or grouping, he is doing something more difficult and substantial: rather than succumb to the vagaries of contemporary taste, he has chosen to engage with the rich tradition of painting to forge his own, highly individual style. It is the mark of a mature artist that each work, though different one from the other, should still be recognisably by the same hand, as though imprinted with the painter's own spirit'.
Fernando Velazquez (b.1966 Seville)
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1988
Regional Competition for Visual Art, Murcia, Spain
National Competition for Visual Art, Valencia, Spain
New Creators, San Esteban Church, Murcia, Spain
1989
National Painting Competition, Almudi Centre of Art
Mediterranean Savings Bank, Spain
International Meeting for Young Artists, European Council, Berlin, Germany
Cultural Exchange, Madrid, Spain
Young Art Exhibition, School of Architecture, Murcia, Spain
National Painting Competition, Mediterranean Savings Bank, Spain
1991
Young Creators, Regional Assembly, Cartagena, Spain
National Contest for Painters’92, Chicarreros Gallery, Seville, Spain
Young Creators, Borron Gallery, Oviedo, Spain1992
Young Art, Babel Gallery, Murcia, Spain
With Another View, Universal Exhibition Expo’92, Seville, Spain
1994
Hotel Arts’94, Egam Gallery, Madrid; Hotel Arts, Barcelona
Dark City Lights, Granados 2 Gallery, Los Angeles, USA
Dada, Down Town Lives ’94, Los Angeles, USA
1995
New Creators, Oriel Theatre, Mold-Clyd, Wales
History Institute, Lancaster. UK
Lillian Palley Visual Arts, Oakland, California, USA
1996
Focus National Painting Competition, Finalist, Focus Foundation, Seville, Spain
1997
Let's Go Down the King’s Road, Artists in Residence Kensington & Chelsea College, London
1998
New Art, Chelsea College of Art, London
1999
Vital Art’99, Cowcross Street Gallery, E1 Gallery, London
Art London 1999
Round Chapel Festival, Round Chapel, London
2000
Art 2000, E1 Gallery, Contemporary Art Fair, London
New Elemental, E1 Gallery, London, ART Paris
2001
Abstraction, Rosenberg & Kaufman Gallery, New York
Bergdoff Goodman, New York
2003
Art for Youth The Mall Galleries, London
Summer Exhibition, Rosenberg & Kaufman Fine Art New York
2004
Floating Worlds. George Crumb/Fernando Velázquez, Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre. Symphony Space. Sound/Image Event, New York
(Un)Convention, Rosenberg & Kaufman Fine Art, New York
Summer Exhibition, Rosenberg & Kaufman Fine Art, New York
2005
Panel/Canvas/Paper Rosenberg & Kaufman Fine Art New York
Harris Interiors Gallery, Gallery Artists, Poole, Dorset
2006
Modern Art Fair, Study Gallery/ Harris Interiors Gallery, Poole, Dorset
2007
Margins, Sherborne House Open, Sherborne, Dorset
2008
Harris Interiors, Gallery Artists, Poole, Dorset
2009
Causalidad-Casualidad .Galería Punto-Arte, Barcelona.
Works on Paper. Harris Interiors Gallery, Poole, Dorset
The Ormeley Dinner, The Ecology Trust and The Aspinall Foundation, London
Jamaica Street Artists, Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, Bristol
2010
Selected Works, The Gallery at Hilfield Manor, Dorset
Salon Millesime, Madrid. Biondetta Art Gallery
Contemporary Paintings and Sculpture, The Air gallery, London
Feria DeArte, Biondetta Art Gallery, Madrid
Luz y Alma a 360, Padula & Partners, Biondetta Art Gallery, Madrid
Summer Exhibition, Harris Interiors Gallery, Poole
2011
Contemporary Art, McMaster Tims, Jersey
Un Verano para recordar
Hotel Isabel de Farnesio, La Granja de San Ildefonso, Segovia, Biondetta Art Gallery, Madrid
2012
New paintings, Hilfield Manor Gallery
Pop Up Dorset Open Exhibition, Portland
2013
Dorchester Open 2013, Dorchester Arts Centre
Marshwood Vale Art Awards 2013, Bridport Arts Centre, Dorset
2014
161th Art Exhibition Royal West Academy of Arts, Bristol
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1993
Prints & Drawings, Miroslav Perkovic Workshop, Mojacar, Spain
1994
Pintura de Finales Mestizo Art Festival, Caballerias Gallery, Murcia, Spain Pintura de Finales, Muralla Bizantina Gallery, Cartagena, Spain
1995
Pintura del Otro Youth Gallery, Seville, Spain
1997
Recent Works, Madelaine Pearson Gallery, Islington Arts Factory, London
1999
Taking Shape, Woodlands Gallery, London
2000
Night Paintings, E1 Gallery, London
2003
Paintings of the Floating World Rosenberg & Kaufman Gallery, New York
2008
“Fernando Velázquez” Oliver Holt Gallery, Sherborne, Dorset
“Paintings of the Floating World” Harris Interiors Gallery, Poole, Dorset
“Cuevas” McMaster Tims Contemporary Art, London
2010
“Timeless” Biondetta Art Gallery, Madrid
2011
"Through the Veil" Harris Interiors Gallery, Poole, Dorset
"Waterfields" Hilfield Manor Gallery, Sherborne
2014
"Cave Paintings of our Time" Dorchester Arts, Dorset
COLLECTIONS
Hotel Arts Contemporary Art Collection, Barcelona
Universal Records, London
Stephen Rosenberg, New York
Solterra. Spain
Editorial La Muralla. Publishing Company. Madrid
Biondetta Art Gallery. Madrid
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Madeleine Pearson Gallery, Islington Arts Factory Exhibitions, Denzil Forrester, London 1997
New Elemental Aesthetic, E1 Gallery, Ivan Tennant, London 2000
Night paintings, Essay by Simon Groom, London, 2000
Altered Images, The Sunday Times Magazine, Ria Higgins, 2000
The Dictionary of Art in Britain since 1945, David Buckman, 2001-2011
Fernando Velázquez, Rosenberg and Kaufman Gallery, New York , Samuel Lloyd Thomas, 2003
Sound/Image, Rosenberg and Kaufman Gallery, New York. Essay by Nikki Cesare, 2003
Putting you in the picture, Dorset Echo, 2003
Floating Worlds, George Crumb/Fernando Velázquez, New York Times, Jeremy Eichler, 2004
Art on Demand, Art and Antiques in America, Margaret Littman, 2004
Fernando Velázquez, Oliver Holt Gallery, Sherborne. Andrew Stooke, 2008
The Sherborne Review, 2008
Mind Fields, Dorset Magazine, Stephen Swanns, 2010
Light and Soul at 360 degrees. Carmen Mendez, Expansion, Madrid 2010
Evolver Magazine. Exhibit A 2011
Tusk Modern Art Auction, Bafta. The Telegraph, Anoosh Chakelian 2011
ART PROJECTS & COMMISSIONS
1989
European Council International Art Workshop
Carmiano, Italy
Working on paintings, stage design, sculpture and collective creations with young artists from Italy, Germany, France and Spain.
International Meeting of Young Artists, Berlin
Projects uniting music and painting
International Conference for Young Artists, Strasbourg
Meeting of young artists and writers for the creation of a new Arts Magazine
1990
International Creative Workshop, Caceres, Spain
Meeting of international artists working together on new projects culminating in a theatre performance
1990-1991
Director and producer of two Art radio programmes Radio 5, Murcia, Spain
Promoting artists from many disciplines
1989-1990-1991
Director of the Arts section “Mouth to Mouth” Magazine, Ministry of Education, Murcia, Spain
Promoting young artists, writing articles and interviews
1993
“About Art”
Workshop and seminar with artist Anton Lamazares for the “Mestizo Festival” Spain
“Creation in the 90’s”
Lecturer in a series of conferences regarding contemporary art, Oviedo, Spain
1995
Regional Workshop for Painters & Writers, Ministry of Education, Spain
Director of a workshop collaboration with actors, writers and photographers for the creation of a multimedia project
“Tiro al Blanco”
Director of a happening performance, sponsored by the Spanish Government
Involving well-known artists and politicians in a project for the promotion of art within the community.
“Copy Art”
Workshop working with photocopier machines with the theme of repetition and innovation
“Dark City Lights”
Project with American artists for the production of a fluorescent art exhibition in Los Angeles, California
1996
“Mirada Infinita”
A workshop for the International Arts Festival “Sibila”, Seville, Spain
Assistant of artist Nacho Criado for the production of an installation for the Sibila Gallery
“Maps without Frontiers” Andalucian Centre for Contemporary Art, Seville, Spain
A workshop with the art critic Fernando Castro and artist Carlos Capelan for the study of art theory and professional practice
1997
“Diapason”
Collaboration with Oboist Ellen Marsden, London
1999
Eating Art
Project organised by E1 Gallery, London
Involving chefs and artists
2004
Floating Worlds
Commission of a large format painting by Rosenberg & Kaufman Fine Art. Stage design at the Thalia Nimoy Theatre, New York
Celebrating the 80th birthday of American composer George Crumb. Collaboration with the International Contemporary Ensemble ICE (Chicago) for a live performance at Symphony Space, New York
2011
“Bueliau”
Commission of a large painting on glass as part of an architectural project in the New Forest.
