Javier Tles

The Infinite Gaze of the Passerby

Javier Tles, born in Zaragoza in 1965, is a self-taught Spanish photographer who began his career in 1992. He has resided in Barcelona since 1983 and has excelled in the field of advertising photography, collaborating with renowned agencies such as S,C,P,F…, BBDO, DDB, Publicis, TBWA, Young & Rubicam, Ogilvy, and JWT. His versatility has allowed him to successfully tackle diverse projects, from portraits to documentary photography and personal works.

Artistic Manifesto

Javier Tles conceives photography as a medium to share discoveries and experiences. His approach focuses on capturing the interaction between people and their environment, paying special attention to human emotions and relationships. One of his most significant projects, “Watashi”, portrays survivors of the 2011 Japan tsunami, inviting them to look at themselves in a mirror before being photographed, allowing their expressions to reveal their story without the need for words. This approach of attentive observation and letting the image speak for itself permeates all of his work.

The Infinite Gaze of the Passerby

Javier Tles conceives photography as a medium to share discoveries and experiences. His approach focuses on capturing the interaction between people and their environment, paying special attention to human emotions and relationships.
One of his most significant projects, “Watashi”, portrays survivors of the 2011 Japan tsunami, inviting them to look at themselves in a mirror before being photographed, allowing their expressions to reveal their story without the need for words. This approach of attentive observation and letting the image speak for itself permeates all of his work.

The Project at BYPILLOW Goldoni (Florence)

Like a flâneur of our times, Tles has sought to preserve the gaze of the urban wanderer, that traveler who roams the city unhurriedly, allowing themselves to be surprised by the details. His photographs, present throughout the hotel, capture Florence with the gaze of one who discovers it without haste, letting light shape the architecture and visitors become part of the landscape. His intervention culminates at the entrance with a triptych that encapsulates that experience: in the center, Michelangelo’s David, seen through a mobile phone screen, reflecting the way we view art today; on both sides, two images of visitors absorbed in their contemplation, caught in that instant where beauty imposes itself above all else. Through his mastery of chiaroscuro, Tles explores how light and shadow can emphasize a gaze, a gesture, or the atmosphere of a place, adding depth and narrative to each scene. More than documenting Florence, the collaboration between Javier Tles and BYPILLOW Goldoni invites you to experience it with a new perspective. Through his images, the hotel becomes a space where light, architecture, and emotion intertwine in a visual narrative that reminds us that traveling is, in essence, learning to look.