Jan Vallverdú
Painting the Instability of Being
A candid studio portrait of Jan Vallverdú standing before his large-scale paintings, capturing the artist in a paint-marked studio surrounded by gestural figures, layered brushwork, and works in progress.
Introduction
Jan Vallverdú’s oil paintings explore the complexities of human identity, inner conflict, and the shifting boundaries between figuration and abstraction. Born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1995, Vallverdú developed his artistic language through drawing, graffiti, and large-scale muralism before moving toward a more introspective studio practice. He studied illustration and applied wall arts at the La Llotja School of Art and Design in Barcelona, alongside anatomical drawing at the Barcelona Academy of Art. His early experience painting monumental murals continues to inform his work, bringing physical energy and expressive movement into compositions that reflect the contradictions of human nature. Drawing inspiration from art history, digital culture, fashion, and contemporary visual aesthetics, Vallverdú creates paintings in which the human figure appears caught between presence and disappearance, stability and imbalance. His work invites viewers to consider identity not as something fixed, but as a state of constant transformation. (Artemin Gallery biography; Masdearte artist interview)
“Painting, for me, is a medium of introspection and self-expression.” — Jan Vallverdú, translated from Spanish.
Studio & Process
In his Barcelona studio, Vallverdú often begins with spontaneous drawings made at night or while traveling. These sketches serve as starting points rather than rigid plans, allowing individual figures and gestures to develop organically as he works. Painting primarily in oil on canvas, he builds up layers of color and mark-making, repeatedly scraping, adjusting, and reworking surfaces. The slow-drying nature of oil allows him to spend more time considering the relationship between color, atmosphere, and gesture, while leaving room for unexpected developments.
His compositions frequently feature elongated or distorted human figures that emerge from energetic, sometimes turbulent backgrounds. Bold brushstrokes, shifting contours, and contrasts between light and shadow create a sense of movement, making the body a vehicle for exploring emotional and psychological tension. Drawing on his background in muralism, Vallverdú combines the immediacy of physical gesture with a slower, reflective approach to painting.
“I move between intention and accident.” — Jan Vallverdú, translated from Spanish.
Feature Artwork: The day before (2025)
In The day before (2025), Vallverdú presents a large-scale oil painting on canvas measuring 72 × 60 inches, with a depth of 2 inches. The title suggests a moment suspended just before a significant change—a threshold between anticipation and uncertainty, when the present has not yet given way to what comes next.
This sense of transition connects with Vallverdú’s broader practice, in which figures and forms occupy unstable spaces between definition and dissolution. His paintings resist fixed narratives, allowing gestures, color, and the physical presence of the painted surface to convey emotional complexity. Viewed through this lens, The day before invites reflection on the tension between what is known and what remains unresolved, echoing the artist’s ongoing interest in the instability of identity and the continual process of becoming.
What’s Next?
Vallverdú continues to expand his exploration of the human figure, expressive gesture, and the psychological tensions that shape individual experience. His recent exhibitions include Diagram: Stable Drift at Lundgren Gallery in Mallorca and Misstep at Monti8 in Rome, both in 2026. Looking ahead, Artemin Gallery in Taipei has announced That’ll Hold, a solo exhibition scheduled for October 17 through November 21, 2026. The exhibition marks an important new chapter in the artist’s international exhibition history, bringing his evolving investigation of balance, movement, and transformation to a new audience. (Artemin Gallery; Artemin Gallery announcements)
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