
Julio Arpón (b. 1987, Spain) has had a dynamic and evolving career that began with an exploration of video art—a medium that allowed him to investigate themes related to visual perception, time, and the construction of images. His works in video art often engaged with visual paradoxes, offering an experience where the viewer is invited to reflect on the very nature of image-making and the layers of meaning embedded within visual media.
His early work, driven by his interest in the origins of images, might have delved into how images are formed, represented, and interpreted by viewers in a digital age, perhaps questioning the boundary between reality and representation. His videos often played with manipulation, distortion, and the transformation of ordinary scenes or objects into something not completely defined.
In recent years, the artist’s work has expanded beyond video to include drawing, a shift that has gained him significant recognition in the UK. His drawings likely carry forward his fascination with visual mysteries, using traditional media to explore themes of illusion, perception, and the unraveling of visual meaning. His drawings present intricate, ambiguous scenes that challenge the viewer’s sense of logic and order, mirroring the complexities he previously explored through video.
This growing recognition has led to exhibitions at major institutions across the world, including Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, Seoul and Madrid, and many other prominent venues. These exhibitions have helped build his reputation as an artist who pushes the boundaries of visual art, questioning not just the medium he works in, but the very concept of perception itself.
Now based in Madrid, he continues to deepen his exploration of the origins of images, possibly merging digital techniques with analog drawing practices, creating a dialogue between the two worlds. His art, regardless of the medium, remains focused on the philosophical questions surrounding the visual experience, blurring the lines between reality, representation, and perception
Exhibitions
2024
‘Whose Gallery is it Anyway? Edinburgh Printmakers
2022
Annual Exhibition, Scottish Society of Artists, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
Summer Exhibition . The Royal Academy of Arts, London
Derwent Art Prize, Paris, France
Scottish Portrait Awards, at the Scottish Arts Club, Edinburgh
Derwent Art Prize, gallery@oxo, London
Scottish Portrait Awards, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries
2021
Scottish Portrait Awards, Glasgow Art Club
Scottish Portrait Awards at the Scottish Arts Club, Edinburgh
Wells Art Contemporary, Wells Cathedral 195th Annual Exhibition, Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
Education
2007-2012
Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts
2015-2016
Master in Film Analysis
2016-2017
Master's degree in Teacher Training for Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, FP and Languages