Bjorn Calleja (b. 1981, Manila, Philippines) is a Filipino contemporary painter and interdisciplinary artist. He earned his BFA from Far Eastern University, where he later became a part-time lecturer. Aside from exhibiting his work, his early career involved corporate jobs and stints as a graphic designer. He also co-founded Design. Other Things. (2012-2014), a design studio that worked with a team of visual artists.
Calleja's art explores identity, spirituality, and the political aspects of everyday life, using perspective and scale as metaphors for our impact on the world. His paintings, sculptures, installations, and animations draw inspiration from 80's and 90's popular culture, kitsch, the internet, and the unique aesthetic and textures of Manila.
Solo exhibitions: 369; West Gallery (2023), Thus and So; Leixiang Gallery (Art Taipei) (2023) The Triumph of Ignorance; ArtInformal (2023); Antonyms of Meaning; West Gallery (2022), Unknown Unknowns; ArtFair Philippines/Projects (2022), The Ennead; Secret Fresh Gallery (2018); Acme; West Gallery (2018); Postcolonial Rubbish; Pablo Gallery (2017); Self-Portrait as a Hamburger; Secret Fresh Gallery (2016); There is no Solution because there is no Problem; Underground Gallery (2016); Confessions of an Almost Artist; West Gallery (2013); Bubblegum Stories; Secret Fresh Gallery (2012); Eat my Daddy; The Crucible Gallery (2012); Some Failed Attempts in Creating a Good Image for Painting; West Gallery (2011); The Color Bringer; Secret Fresh Gallery (2011); Fear Made me Do This; Lost Projects (2011).
Calleja's work has been included in various group exhibitions both local and international, published in Toy Art 2.0 (2014), Philippines: Inter Tropical Convergence Zone Contemporary Artists from the Philippines Imago Mundi - Luciano Benetton Collection (2014), and his animations have been featured in a number of NFT exhibitions including "NFTs + The Ever-Evolving World of Art" at Art Basel in Hong Kong (2022), “Tez Art Mtl” in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2022) and “Living System: An NFT Show” at SEA Focus in Singapore (2023), he is also the creator of Stoopid Avatar Project (2021), a satirical PFP project minted on the Tezos blockchain and was shortlisted in the 2023 Sovereign Asian Art Prize.
Calleja's art explores identity, spirituality, and the political aspects of everyday life, using perspective and scale as metaphors for our impact on the world. His paintings, sculptures, installations, and animations draw inspiration from 80's and 90's popular culture, kitsch, the internet, and the unique aesthetic and textures of Manila.
Solo exhibitions: 369; West Gallery (2023), Thus and So; Leixiang Gallery (Art Taipei) (2023) The Triumph of Ignorance; ArtInformal (2023); Antonyms of Meaning; West Gallery (2022), Unknown Unknowns; ArtFair Philippines/Projects (2022), The Ennead; Secret Fresh Gallery (2018); Acme; West Gallery (2018); Postcolonial Rubbish; Pablo Gallery (2017); Self-Portrait as a Hamburger; Secret Fresh Gallery (2016); There is no Solution because there is no Problem; Underground Gallery (2016); Confessions of an Almost Artist; West Gallery (2013); Bubblegum Stories; Secret Fresh Gallery (2012); Eat my Daddy; The Crucible Gallery (2012); Some Failed Attempts in Creating a Good Image for Painting; West Gallery (2011); The Color Bringer; Secret Fresh Gallery (2011); Fear Made me Do This; Lost Projects (2011).
Calleja's work has been included in various group exhibitions both local and international, published in Toy Art 2.0 (2014), Philippines: Inter Tropical Convergence Zone Contemporary Artists from the Philippines Imago Mundi - Luciano Benetton Collection (2014), and his animations have been featured in a number of NFT exhibitions including "NFTs + The Ever-Evolving World of Art" at Art Basel in Hong Kong (2022), “Tez Art Mtl” in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (2022) and “Living System: An NFT Show” at SEA Focus in Singapore (2023), he is also the creator of Stoopid Avatar Project (2021), a satirical PFP project minted on the Tezos blockchain and was shortlisted in the 2023 Sovereign Asian Art Prize.
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