José Gabriel Fernández – In Dialogue With Body And Sculpture

The art of José Gabriel Fernández is distinguished by its perfect abstraction of the human form. His minimalist sculptures, often characterized by a simple yet powerful aesthetic, are renowned for their reduced use of color, often dominated by shades of white.

Fernández’s pieces are particularly captivating when experienced all around, with their sharp contours, shifting forms, and relationships to a human scale. The artist also works with wall-mounted and leaning works, sometimes accompanied by photographic series that delve further into his sculptures, revealing multiple perspectives of his works. Highly intricate and finely crafted, his works combine the use of diverse materials such as plywood, resin, fiberglass-reinforced gypsum, and MDF.

Minimalist sculpture by José Gabriel Fernández
Cariatide, 2019, Gesso on MDF © The Artist, Image via Artist Website
Minimalist sculpture by José Gabriel Fernández
Cariatide, 2019, Gesso on MDF © The Artist, Image via Artist Website

Born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1957, José Gabriel Fernández has been creating art since his days studying Fine Art at Middlesex Polytechnic and The Slade School of Fine Art, London. Moving to New York City in the late 1980s, Fernández studied at the prestigious Whitney Museum of American Art Independent Study Program, and now lives and works in New York.

His works have a light and ethereal quality that transmits a sense of tranquility and timelessness. Fernández’s sculptures not only seek to express their own form but also the relationships between the works of art and the viewers. His stunning sculptures demonstrate how sometimes the most complex and abstract forms can be the most captivating.

Minimalist photographic art by José Gabriel Fernández
Untitled, 2011, Inkjet print on watercolor paper, unframed © The Artist, Image via Artist Website
Minimalist sculpture by José Gabriel Fernández
Erotillo, 2016, Gesso on plaster © The Artist, Image via Artist Website
Minimalist sculpture by José Gabriel Fernández
Erotillo, 2010, © The Artist, Image via Huxley-Parlour
Minimalist Art by José Gabriel Fernández
Untitled Study I, 2018, archival mounting board relief © The Artist, Image via Artist Website
Minimalist Art by José Gabriel Fernández
Untitled Study II, 2018, archival mounting board relief © The Artist, Image via Artist Website

Further Reading

Aesence is an independent art and design publication dedicated to minimalist aesthetics. Founded out of a deep appreciation and fascination, Aesence aims to promote awareness and appreciation of minimalism in art and design.