Born in Avilés, Asturias, he studied Fine Arts in Salamanca and completed his training at the Talleres de Arte Actual del Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. His career is as a painter until 2008, when on the occasion of his exhibition at the Reina Sofia Museum he exhibits for the first time photographs of intervened landscapes.
Javier Riera’s work is based on geometric light projections, made directly on the vegetation and landscape. He uses photography as a means of recording, without computer manipulation. His work is based on an experience of real intervention on “the space and time of the landscape”, which brings him closer to the proposals of Land Art.
The relationship between geometry and nature acquires a meditative character, appealing to the coexistence of the public with the power of suggestion of the modification of the landscape he attends, which aims to broaden its perception, building bridges to hidden qualities and dimensions of the spaces in which it occurs. Riera understands geometry as a natural language prior to matter, capable of establishing with it a kind of subtle and revealing resonance.
Among his institutional exhibitions are Noche Áurea at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía ( 2008) , Secuencias, Museo Barjola ( 2010); Sincronicidad del DA2 de Salamanca ( 2014), Luz Vulnerada Centro Niemeyer ( 2015), Sector Primario, MUSAC ( collective 2015), Luz natural. Un vacío siempre distinto CAB de Burgos (2018) or Bonaval CGAC Santiago de Compostela (2018).
In relation to his work in public spaces he has made specific interventions for Photoespaña, the MUSAC or the CAB of Burgos. Interventions such as Alameda llum (2012) in which eleven of his installations remained for two months in the Turia Gardens or Parametric Graphics (2017) in the Botanical Garden of Madrid, as part of Luna de Octubre, which received more than 6000 visitors. He has made interventions in places like Annecy, France (2018/ 2019) or the Karlovo Námestí Park in Prague ( 2016). In 2018 he intervenes in the gardens of Bonaval annexed to the CGAC. In 2019 he participates in UMBRA Vitoria-Gasteiz with a work for the Florida Gardens.
His work is present in collections such as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía the Cajamadrid Foundation, Princess of Asturias Foundation, Bank of Spain Collection, DA 2 Domus Artium or the New Pilar Citoler Collection.
Javier Riera teaches at the Master Photoespaña and at the Francisco de Vitoria University in Madrid.