Volta Basel 2024 | José Vivenes

José Vivenes' work is characterised by an intensive examination of the nature of being human. In his paintings, collages and drawings, he addresses existing contradictions that characterise us humans, but also our societies. This concerns diversity issues, but also other socio-political topics and interpersonal relationships in general. His examination of these topics is also based on his own life experiences in a politically and socially divided country.

His works also have a relevance that transcends national and social boundaries. Vivenes is an astute observer of human and social depths and shallows. His pictures poetically narrate the fragile reality of our existence, often referring to European art-historical models, and thus revisit the centuries-old dispute in Western philosophy about the image of man.

José Vivenes, born in 1977 in Maturín, Venezuela, graduated from the Armando Reveron Institute of Plastic Arts and the Metropolitan University in Caracas. He is one of the best-known contemporary Venezuelan artists. Vivenes lives and works in Caracas, Venezuela.