Coderch & Malavia
Joan Coderch was born in 1959 in Castellar del Vallés, Barcelona, and he graduated from Barcelona’s Faculty of Fine Art in 1984. Javier Malavia was born in 1970 in Oñati, Guipúz- coa, and he graduated from Valencia’s San Carlos Faculty of Fine Art in 1993. Once they met, they discovered their artistic similarities, which led to their undertaking this new pro- ject that follows in the footsteps of masters of figuration such as Maillol, Rodin, Marini and Bourdelle.
Part of the originality of their art lies in the way they work, since they make their sculptures four-handed, thereby sharing in the creation of the pieces. Joan and Javier also have in common the values of their artistic creation, such as social commitment with regards to equality, the environment and childhood. Their work stands out due to its honesty and authenticity: they explore different human attitudes to life and the human being is at the core of their art.
From the very beginning, Coderch and Malavia have managed to position themselves as outstanding figurative artists. They received the Reina Sofía Painting and Sculpture Prize for their “Hamlet” artwork in 2017 and won First Prize at the 14th ARC International Salon Competition with the sculpture “The Swan Dance” in 2019. Their other awards include the Mariano Benlliure Sculpture Medal, the TIAC Art Prize and the Arcadia Contemporary Award.
In addition to being internationally renowned, their work forms part of important private collections across Europe, Asia and America. They parcipiated in Berlin’s Urban Nation Biennial with their “Learning to Fly” piece in September 2019 and in 2018, they held a solo exhibition in Amsterdam’s Galerie Mokum. Joan Coderch and Javier Malavia currently work in Valencia, in an old 400-square-me- tre industrial building, which also serves as a private exhibition space for their entire collection.