Artist Spotlight: Juan de Dios Morenilla

Born in Caravaca de la Cruz, Murcia, Spain, artist Juan de Dios Morenilla’s work is a compendium of relationships and influences from recent popular culture; music, cinema, video games, and cartoons, along with an awareness of the Spanish pictorial tradition. Though his initial sketch process involves many changes, Morenilla appreciates painting for its finality—the ability to freeze or stop a specific moment in space and time, as opposed to the ongoing nature of animation.

In his recent series, “Smells like crickets, tastes like chicken,” Morenilla explores the tradition of still life painting. The project involves ‘engravings’ on the surface of fruits and vegetables—messages devoid of meaning that refer to those that can be found carved on walls or trees. “In short,” he explains, “the absurdity of a message enduring over time even if it is indecipherable, and the ability to imagine the possible motivations of these unknown people to leave that ‘I was here’, the need for permanence in confrontation with the mortal reality of our world.”

Juan de Dios Morenilla currently works in Valencia, Spain and is represented by Veta Gallery in Madrid. See more of his work below!