The nopal, also known as Prickly Pear in English or Opuntia in Latin, has always had a special meaning for me. It is one of my favorite plants and themes, as this plant originates from Mexico, my native country, where it is a plant of great importance in ancient and daily life; in architecture, gastronomy, literature, textiles etc. But it has also become characteristic around the Mediterranean Sea, as it was brought to Europe many centuries ago, by the Spaniards.
During the six years I lived by the Mediterranean Sea in Spain, while at College, I came to realize the importance of the nopales in the Mediterranean landscape and culture. It occurred to me that the nopal is an irrefutable evidence, and link, between Mexico and the Mediterranean region.
Nowadays the nopal plant is Mexican, of course, but in parallel, it has also become Mediterranean as well. I consider this to be the beauty of the interconnection of cultures; how the Mexican nopal grew roots by the Mediterranean and how the Spanish language grew roots in the Americas.
I believe we should aim towards shaping our lifestyles so that it will have the minimum impact on the environment – or none whatsoever – in order for us to enjoy a healthy life on a healthy planet.
Back in time, more precisely in 1999, when I was a 12 years old boy, I took a life decision: be the voice of those that do not have one and speak out loud about the injustices that human race was causing to nature. By “those that do not have a voice” I mean other creatures and species; our non-human fellows.
Back then; I co-founded a project to save marine turtles from extinction in the Mexican Pacific coast. Nowadays, in my late 20’s I am committed to spreading environmental awareness by making sustainable art.
My artwork seeks to exhibit lifelike shapes, colors and textures of nature to stimulate people’s curiosity and wonder towards nature with the intention of building bridges based on mutual respect between all creatures and species that inhabit this world.
Each piece seeks to transmit simultaneously two messages:
– Say no to taxidermy. No life form should die for the desire of humans to enjoy its beauty
– Nature’s beauty has a positive impact on our daily life and is essential for our inner harmony and conscience
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something, By changing our routines and behavior every day – even small changes – for more sustainable options matters in the long run. What can you do to lead a more sustainable life?
My artwork will be exhibited at Jäger & Jansson Galleri, Lund, Sweden from 4 – 23 June 2016.
This collective exhibition will be a part of the Summer Salon (Sommarsalong in Swedish) that Jäger & Jansson Galleri arranges each summer. This summer various international artist will be showing their artwork and I am very happy to be one of them.
I have admired the Absolut Vodka brand ever since my early teens. It was not the content in the bottle that interested me. I was too young back then in the late 90’s. It was the advertising that drew my attention. The shape of the bottle, the colors and the design, that felt astonishingly modern and groundbreaking, for its time was what fascinated me. The vodka brand with its roots in southern Sweden and a history that goes back to the year of 1879 continues to fascinate me ever since then.
The Absolut Vodka is manufactured in Åhus, Sweden, from local ingredients and exported worldwide. It is a brand committed to embrace sustainability throughout its production and logistics processes. For example, the vodka bottles are made of 40% recycled glass, the brand supports small farmers in Mexico who cultivate their lands in a sustainable way, byproducts from distillation, wheat stillage, are used to feed 250.000 pigs and 40.000 cows everyday and 40% of stillage transportation use biofuel according to information on the company’s web site.
The brand prioritizes not only sustainability but art as well. Absolut Vodka has supported art since the 80’s and collaborated with, at the time, emerging artists such as Andy Warhol and unknown artists such as Keith Haring and Ed Ruscha. Absolut Vodka continues supporting art through an artistic network called Absolut Art, that keeps on building the brand’s historic engagement with artists and the creative community.
The fact that Absolut Vodka supports art and prioritizes sustainability, inspired me to create the Absolut Chameleon. The sculpture is made out of two elements; an Absolut Vodka bottle with the text and design cleaned off and a chameleon made out of recycled and sustainable materials and covered with colorful glass beads as well as clay beads sculpted by hand. It took me three weeks, working from dusk to dawn, to complete this piece.
You may ask, why has the bottle been stripped off its text and design? And, why is there a chameleon sitting on the bottle?
I believe Absolut Vodka is a brand that inspires the use of colors as well as adapts to the environment with respect for nature and diversity. The chameleon together with the Absolut Vodka bottle is intended to show how we all can promote change and adapt in a nimbly manner and a kaleidoscopical way, just as chameleons.
The Absolut Chameleon sculpture will be exhibited in Lund, Sweden, from 4-26 june 2016 at JÄGER & JANSSON Galleri.
Data: Davit Nava, Absolut Chameleon, 2016, iron structure, post-use plastic bags, used clothing, white glue, acrylic on clay, air-hardening clay, wooden sticks, crystal beads, crystal bottle, 20.5 x 17.7 x 11.2 in / 52 x 45 x 28 cm
Goliath is a sustainable sculpture inspired by the African species of the male beetle Goliathus regius.
Goliathus regius, or the Royal Goliath Beetle, is one of the largest beetles on Earth. It belongs to the Scarabaeidae family and is present in western equatorial Africa.
The length of a male beetle is about 50–110 millimetres (2.0–4.3 in). They have a black Y-shaped horn that they use to fight against other males.
Despite of its large body, the beetles fly well. They have a large and membranous secondary pair of wings. The beetles feed primarily on tree sap and fruits.
Goliath intends to invite the viewer to a new relationship with nature, a relationship of admiration and respect, as no insect should have to live in captivity or have to be killed in order for humans to appreciate its beauty and shapes.
Data: Davit Nava, Goliath, 2014, painted iron stand, post-use plastic bags, used clothing with white glue, acrylic on clay, 7.8 x 7.8 x 19.2 in / 20 x 20 x 49 cm
Koza is an abstract piece that seeks to show how the living as well as the non-living change as time passes and what can be the consequences thereof.
As time passes, the living and the non-living things change. That is exactly what happened with this log. It suffered the passing of time as sunlight and rain cracked its wood.
Koza is created from a naturally cracked log. Each crack is painted in a different color with the intention of showing a beauty and harmony that is the result of the passing of time.
Koza seeks to show how things suffer the passing of time but how, and if we want, can find beauty and harmony in the wear and tear as well as in aging and decay.
The word Koza sounds as “cosa” in Latin Spanish meaning “thing”. The word “Koza” comes from the Czech language and means “goat”. It is intended to be a wordplay relating two terms: “goat” and “thing”. I found the log near a goat barn by the Amacuzac River, Mexico. This is the reason for linking “goat” to “thing”.
Data: Davit Nava, Koza, 2016, acrylic on post-natural-disaster wood, 20.5 x 17.7 x 11.2 in / 52 x 45 x 28 cm
Koza, front view. Photo by Pablo VicenteKoza, top view. Photo by Pablo VicenteKoza, detail. Photo by Pablo Vicente
The event aims to connect the public directly with the artist. Come and meet the artists and see the latest trends in contemporary Mexican art, as well as the most innovative proposals in art installations. The fair features 60 Mexican artists.
I will be most happy to see you at the Sala Ethos this weekend where I will expose some of my pieces.
Welcome!
Sala Ethos, Expo Bancomer, Santa Fe, Mexico City
Open: 10 am – 8 pm.
Admission: 100 MXN
