Gallery 4
AuTOYbiography
22 April - 3 May 2026
Opening night
24 April | 6 - 8 pm
Gallery Hours:
Wednesday – Sunday: 10 am – 5 pm (please note last day of exhibition ends at 3pm)
ARTIST STATEMENT
Cesar Sánchez Huertas approaches painting as a space for reflection, curiosity and personal exploration. His work is often inspired by moments, memories or quiet forms of beauty that invite the viewer to pause and look more closely. Rather than following trends or aesthetic expectations, he is interested in creating images that carry a sense of depth and meaning, both for himself and for those who encounter the work.
Painting has become an essential part of his life and a way of understanding the world. The act of painting itself—being present, focused and immersed in the process—is central to his practice. When working, Cesar seeks a state of calm and openness that allows him to explore ideas freely, without pressure or predetermined outcomes. Each painting becomes a place where a small part of his own experience, curiosity and emotional landscape is left behind.
A key motivation in his practice is the search for technical and conceptual challenges. Every work introduces something new to solve—whether through light, composition, or narrative—allowing him to test and expand his understanding of painting. This continuous process of learning and experimentation keeps the work alive and evolving.
The still-life format allows him to distill thoughts, emotions and personal reflections into visual narratives. However, the meaning of a painting is rarely fixed from the beginning. Instead, the work evolves through intuition, experimentation and a process of trial and error, often revealing new layers of meaning as it approaches completion.
His recent body of work, AuTOYbiography, reflects a deeply personal period of rediscovery. Through symbolic arrangements of childhood toys and familiar objects, the series explores themes of memory, identity and transformation, tracing a journey of rupture, reflection and reconciliation with a creative impulse that had long remained dormant.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Cesar Sánchez Huertas is a Spanish-born, Melbourne-based artist working primarily in figurative painting and illustration to create narrative-driven works. Painting has been part of Cesar’s life since childhood. Growing up, he spent much of his time drawing imagined stories inspired by manga and comics, while also painting portraits of friends and family. Although he later chose to pursue a career in science, this path nurtured a deep curiosity about how things work and an experimental approach to life, shaped by observation and trial and error.
In 2022, Cesar experienced a turning point and decided to return seriously to painting, realising he had gradually set it aside due to the demands of adult and scientific life. He began sharing illustrations online, which led to opportunities to collaborate on illustrated children’s books, including My Mummy Loves Fudge, with another publication forthcoming.
In 2023, he joined the Victorian Artists Society in Melbourne, where he developed a strong interest in oil painting and tonal realism. His work has since been shown in several exhibitions, and one of his paintings, ‘The Wish’, received the People’s Choice Award in 2024. Cesar’s first solo exhibition, AuTOYbiography, reflects a personal period of rediscovery and transformation. Through symbolic narrative scenes, the series explores themes of identity, rupture, and reconciliation with a creative impulse that had long remained dormant.