Jesus Max

Born in Spain, 1961. I live in LA, California since 1997. I was a member and founder of the Spanish art group A UA CRAG 1982-1995. In the 2016 I was also part of the BLAM Projects art group in Los Angeles California.

Since 1987 I have been showing my work regularly in many countries including France, Holland, Belgium , Germany and specially , since I moved to California, USA and Spain.

My painting focuses in the conceptual as well as aesthetic conflation of contemporary anxiety caused by cultural collapse and ancient myth. I explore the distortions in the vocabulary of classical representational narratives by the introduction of XXI century psychological and/or iconographic elements. I do this in order to redirect the beholder's gaze to the mystery and the uncertain, which are always the ultimate truth beyond the social commentary.

The underlying themes in my work include sex, mortality, religious syncretism, decadence and narcissism, to mention a few.

My influences are variate: Primitive Flemish, Symbolism, Neue Sachlichkeit, Surrealism, Leipzig School, even writers such as Gene Wolfe, Marcel Schwob, Mikhail Bulgakov or moviemakers such as Bergman, Tarkovsky or Kubrick.

2020 Death Cult. Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, California.
2018 Inglewood Open Studios. Inglewood, California.
2018 Palacio del Tiempo. Museo de Arqueología. Palencia, Spain
2018 Palacio del Tiempo. El Huerto del Tertuliano. Fuente Olmedo, Valladolid,Spain
2016 On the Distant Horizon. Blam Projects. Los Angeles
2016 Smoke and Mirrors (Solo) Galería Theredoom, Madrid , Spain.
2016. Concrete. Blam Projects. Los Angeles
2016 Ufology.. Outpost Projects. Joshua Tree, California
2016 Faux Sho’: Japonism . Japan Art Foundation. Los Angeles
2015 MAS Attack 8 San Diego Art Institute. San Diego, California
2015 Faux Sho‘ / Symbolism. Balcony Coffe Company. Los Angeles, California
2014 MAS Attack 7 Santa Monica Art Studios. Santa Monica, California
2014 South Bay Focus. Torrance Art Museum. Torrance, California.
2014 Open Studios 1019WEST Building. Inglewood, California.
2014 Zero Down (Open studios and Pop Up Art Event) 1019WEST Building. Inglewood, California.
2014 A UA CRAG al Muro. MUSAC. León, Spain
2013 Open Studios 1019WEST Building. Inglewood, California.
2013 South Bay Focus. Torrance Art Museum. Torrance, California
2013 Zero Down (Open studios and Pop Up Art Event) 1019WEST Building. I...