Jove Junco, Josvedy
untitled
Josvedy Jove Junco, untitled, 2017, wax crayon and ballpoint pen on paper, 27,8 x 21,7 cm, photo: Claudina Garcia, Atelier de numérisation – Ville de Lausanne Collection de l’Art Brut, Lausanne
Author
Jove Junco, Josvedy,
(1977), Cuba
Biography
Josvedy Jove Junco, known as El Sirio, draws striking figures he imagines from stories he invents himself. His works fuse reality and fantasy – as does his writing, which he incorporates into his drawings. His mother encouraged him to read from a very early age – his bedroom contains a great many old books on all sorts of subjects, but history books are his favourites.
Jove Junco is a gifted storyteller: he can spin his own tales for hours with such assurance and mastery that they seem undeniably true.
He fills notebooks with writings and drawings, combining text and images in an indivisible visual whole. In general, his creations have a characteristic formal appearance, and his striking handwriting is suggestive of medieval texts. His physically emphatic method of writing often takes its toll on the paper. It is not known when he started drawing and writing, but his many notebooks and the density of his works demonstrate his undeniable need for self-expression.
Jove Junco has suffered from attacks of paranoia and hallucinations since he was a child. Following his mother’s death when he was still young, he was brought up by his father. When his father retired from a career in the army, he acquired a small piece of farmland on the outskirts of Havana, which is now the family’s main source of income.