Galerie Droste
Javier Ruiz Pérez , Spain
"QUISE SER UN ELEFANTE ASUSTADO"
"I Wanted to Be a Scared Elephant"
Javier Ruíz Pérez, Miseria y Alegria II Oil on canvas, 2025
The ancient legend of “The Elephant and the Moon” resonates in this show as an essential metaphor: a being of immense strength who, despite his power, never attains the ethereal light to which he aspires. His quest, marked by a paradoxical vulnerability, reflects our own human condition, the irrepressible desire for the unattainable and the paralyzing fear of failure that inhabits us all. “I Wanted to Be a Scared Elephant” invites us to inhabit this essential contradiction: the duality between power and vulnerability, between the aspiration to greatness and the fear that accompanies power. Through this apparent paradox, Javier Ruíz guides us into an exploration of human complexity, where we recognize ourselves in the struggle to better understand ourselves, in a world that demands strength while generating uncertainty. With this elephant rising into the unknown, this exhibit does not seek definitive answers, but invites us to recognize, in our own fragility, the source of our true strength.
Solo show of Javier Ruiz Pérez
From May 15th to June 14th, 2025
The gallery
Galerie Droste, based in Düsseldorf and Paris, is a dynamic contemporary art gallery committed to several concerns: since 2016 it consolidates the positions of artists on the international contemporary art scene, mostly figurative, whose main practices are painting, drawing and sculpture. It reaffirms its place in the market by daring expressive artists postures that predominantly challenge the paradigms of European art history, as well as questioning its conventional view of art. Within the young gallery scene, Galerie Droste promotes a collaborative approach to create stimulating synergies and friendly exchange. Thus, Galerie Droste also joins the ranks of institutions that do not want to turn their gaze away from social change and the challenges it brings: it strives to cultivate togetherness, promote responsible practices, highlight diverse cultural-social currents, and especially support young artists on the international contemporary scene, while always maintaining its clear, Franco-German corporate identity.
Galerie Droste is a member of the New Art Dealers' Alliance (NADA) & the Professional Committee of Art Galleries (CPGA).
Gallery artists
Raphael Brunk, Tatjana Doll, Willehad Eilers, Julius Hofmann, Laust Højgaard, Tim Sandow, Andrew Schoultz, Lena Valenzuela, Mona Broschár, Amir H. Fallah, Antonia Freisburger, Simone Haack, Katharina Keller, Felix Kultau, Margaux Laurens-Neel, Sojeong Lee, Tamara Malcher, Eve Malherbe, MOSES & TAPS™, Javier Ruiz Pérez, Christiane Peschek, Lydia Maria Pfeffer, Conrad Ruiz, André Wendland
