Javier Carro Temboury (Madrid, 1997) is an artist, treasure hunter, collector and dissector. In preparation for his first solo exhibition in Campeche, Inciso, the artist toured Mexico City’s main markets and thrift stores in search of discarded ceramic objects: cups, plates and trays manufactured under artisanal or industrial processes. For Carro Temboury, these ceramic elements are the detonator of his sculptural process.
The sixth iteration of Café Transversal took place at the gallery a month before the opening: this action constitutes a preliminary stage in the production of the works that currently integrate the exhibition. The artist arranges dozens of containers on a table and invites the public to drink coffee. In this case, pot coffee prepared by the Janet Kitchen of the Medellin Market, nearby the gallery, was served. Participants stack used cups and plates inside four wooden boxes, on which they pour cement, in a formwork system that permanently encapsulates the objects, immortalizing the gestures and conversations that impregnated them. Once the mixture has solidified, Javier cuts the blocks to reveal the traces of petrified objects whose new materiality, close to the geological, evokes fossils or mysterious glyphs.
The impact of collective work in Carro Temboury’s work extends beyond this first action. The production of these sculptures is always executed in situ (in this case he transformed a part of the gallery into a workshop), and depends on the creation of links with the local environment. It thus involves diverse materials, techniques and know-how, resulting in subtle and sometimes unexpected variations.
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The Intercontainers series denotes a different process of transformation: depriving the object of its original function, the artist cuts the ceramic objects in half with industrial cuts, and then reunites them by means of a jagged line that separates and connects. These disparate halves are reintegrated within a new sculptural assemblage that abolishes any hierarchy; Javier articulates a cartography that intermingles aesthetic, temporal and geographic particularities. This playful process -that flirts with taxidermy-, transforms the containers irreversibly, detaching them completely from their daily use and the commercial circuit, in order to take them to what he calls “an exceptional adventure in their life as objects”.
The work highlights the diverse and universal nature of ceramics. Through a long-term exploration of the city’s commercial life, the artist embarks on a drift guided by an anthropological lens. The selected objects carry individual stories that, when reassembled, give rise to new narratives and unexpected encounters. The resulting puzzle emerges from an intuitive process, inviting viewers to engage with an unfamiliar discourse through close observation. This body of work reflects the eclectic spirit of Mexico City, shaped by a myriad of cultural influences that form a vast and heterogeneous scenario.
Inciso evokes a pause, a moment of suspense imposed on the life course of objects, forever diverted from their original mission. For Carro Temboury, these utensils carry the traces of those who once ate, drank, and gathered around them, echoing the human presence they once served. The sculptures that compose Inciso tell stories that intertwine with countless others, anchoring them in a temporality that surpasses a human lifetime.
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Javier Carro TembouryIntercontainers (Dilema, entre otros), 2025Used ceramic, industrial cut32 x 78 x 15 cm
12 5/8 x 30 3/4 x 5 7/8 in -
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