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Biography
Quim Bové is a Catalan artist known for his symbolic, abstract paintings executed through his dynamic brush strokes reflected across his collections.

Quim Bové is a Catalan artist known for his symbolic, abstract paintings executed through his dynamic brush strokes reflected across his collections.

Much of Quim’s early influence came from compatriot painters like Dali, Miro, Picasso and Tapies; however, the interest in the abstraction lead him to connect with American Abstract expressionist movement as well.

Quim took a stance against what he believed to be a rigid academic system of the arts and therefore began his self-taught training as a painter in 1978. Quim thought his inspiration and creativity could not be corrupted with others criterion or academic rules; he kept this mentality after his earlier academic experience. Despite his position towards academia, he had a rigorous self-teaching method derived from Master Painter’s manifestos and techniques.

The pivotal point in his career that changed his philosophy of his art work and also his technique happened when he moved to what he claimed to be a place of great mystical power and energy, the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, USA. This important event brought about the beginning of his inspiration behind the relationship of beings, the energies that surround them and the connection to the metaphysical forces of the universe; therefore, 

constituting his symbolic abstract signature style.

His restlessness for experimenting with different techniques has evolved and culminated into his unique and distinctive style which he describes as his own calligraphy. This is represented throughout his most recent series: “Architecture of the Universe.”

He developed and refined a sophisticated layering technique that creates depth transcending the two-dimensional form of the painting, resulting in a powerful and complex surface in which the reflection of the spectator becomes part of the art piece thus creating a visual dialogue.

Quim Bové participated in over thirty solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions. In 1995 he founded a conceptual art group “Andorran Currency” which at the time depicted the country’s political landscape.

He exhibited his works in multiple international gallery venues and collected in private and public collections including but not limited:

Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Phoenix, Seattle, Atlanta, Scottsdale, Denver, Santa Fe, Kansas City, Toronto, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Vitoria, Tarragona, Lleida, Nice, Spain, France, Japan, Italy, Germany, U.K., U.S.A., Mexico, Canada, U.A.E., China, Principality of Monaco, Andorra, and Liechtenstein.

Quim Bové now resides in Los Angeles, where he has his studio in downtown.

Statement

"For me, art and making art is my vital and visceral language to express my deep feelings towards life, and surface philosophical questionings about humankind's existence.

My inspiration comes from the Mankind and the relationship with the Universe.

The desert is a very mystical place.

Certain magnetism exists here. There is energy. There are forces around me. This gives me a sense of inspiration when I create. It is this inspiration which led me to move to the Sonoran Desert. I had the chance to experience this energy in the Liwa Desert, located in the Arabian Peninsula while I painted a tailored collection in Dubai.

I found and experienced this mystical connection in the desert space. I’m not sure what it is, but I feel this powerful energy which in a way led me to open a dialogue about the destiny of human beings and our relationship to the universe.

Since the dawn of time, man has admired the universe. Gazing up towards the sky, the stars, the emptiness. The more I think about it, the more I believe the desert is a gateway to the universe.

After attempting various art institutions, I took a stance against what I believed to be a rigid academic system of the arts and began my self-taught training as a painter in 1978. Despite my position towards academia, I had a rigorous self-teaching method derived from Master Painter’s manifestos and techniques. I was inspired by many Spaniard artists like, Picasso, Dalí, Tapies, Miró, among others, as well as the American abstract movement.

For 40 years, I have sought to perfect the craft of my art. Obviously a never-ending challenge! “I know perfection doesn't exist!”, however this philosophy is something I take very seriously. This drive is the reason why I create and craft everything that make up my pieces, from the framework, stretching the canvas to composing my own paint formulas. I take pride in my work, and every material of each painting needs to go through my hands. I’ve been asked why I go through this effort when something like a frame is not really crucial to the overall effect of the painting. The reason why, is because my paintings are a crossover between painting and sculpture.

For me it is important to cross the boundary from 2-D to 3-D.

The three dimensionality allows me to treat my pieces as sculptures rather than two-dimensional art. They need to be perfect!

My studio is not a studio in the conventional sense. It is not a place where paintings are fabricated. This is my laboratory. It’s the place where I can experiment, research, try new things and play. This is where I find new techniques, new materials, different ways of expressing what I feel on a canvas. Every day I have a different experience in this space.

Every painting starts with a preconceived idea, a feeling, an energy. The most direct translation from a thought to something visual for me is through a sketch. Every time that I travel and visit the desert space I document and sketch these experiences. I translate these through color, shapes and compositions. I go through thousands of sketches.

My language is shaped and evolves with time. This is what I love about what I do. My philosophy doesn’t change very much, but my compositions and language are always changing, constantly evolving.

When I paint, I feel like I'm one with the energy. I like to move with the flows of energy around my paintings.

There is a choreography in the way I create, throw paint on the canvas, and extend the brushstrokes. I have to find the perfect angle and orientation. This is crucial. It’s how I achieve the gravitational effect in the splashes, the dynamic shapes, the striking curves. This makes up my iconography. Or what I like to call the “The Architecture of the Universe.”

The process behind making a painting varies upon the complexity of each piece. There are times when I will want to continue dancing with a painting metaphorically speaking until I feel a sense of fulfillment. Typically, my pieces undergo many stages before they are completed. There is a complex process of layering which is comprised of the application of numerous coats. This is one process which I continue to experiment with. This allows me to create substantial depth in the painting. I relate this depth in my paintings with the energies that surround us, which are made of infinite layers of molecules and subatomic particles.

The splashes across my pieces may seem arbitrary; however, when one understands our world is governed by physics, it is clear that I am in control.

For me there is a strong meaning behind this. We live in a physical world governed by physics. It’s very easy to understand the behavior and dynamics of a splatter after lots of testing the size and direction. Gravity is the essence of energy in the universe and affects all the physical objects.

One that warps the fabric of light and space time. I always keep this in mind: The action of throwing a physical object that collides with another one is essential in the interpretation of energy in my paintings. "The universe is a place of great curiosity, massive energy fields a place where we imagine and often romanticize idealize many things that can happen. There is a sense of hope and infinite opportunities. My creative language is no different.

My ultimate objective as an artist is to share what I feel when I paint or when I visit a desert space. I attempt to share this emotion with the world by allowing them to visually be in the painting. The final reflected surface of my pieces this spatial reflection that will create a dialogue between the painting and the viewer.

While my art represents the energy in the universe and the energy right here around all of us, the manner in which I depict this across my pieces will always change and evolve. This is the nature of all things."

- Quim Bové

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