Meet the artist

John A. Peralta is a self-taught artist whose work examines the emotional relationship we develop with the machines we use on a regular basis. John’s unique style of sculpture incorporates iconic mechanical objects and high-tech materials to produce astonishingly beautiful and complex representations. His interpretation of what is known in engineering terms as the exploded diagram, is truly original and demonstrates his extraordinary imagination, technical expertise, and inventiveness.

John is a native of New Mexico. His family’s roots date back to the second Spanish governor, Don Pedro de Peralta, who founded the city of Santa Fe in 1607. And although he now lives in Austin Texas, his New Mexico family and heritage remain major influences on his life and work.  

From his mid‐teens through his mid‐twenties John lived in communes where he developed practical skills and a love for the natural world. Later, he spent more than 20 years living abroad and traveling throughout East Asia, India, Africa, the South Pacific, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

For most of his professional career John worked in corporate and educational fields. He served as Executive Director of International External Affairs at UCLA, where he was responsible for the university’s global advancement strategy. Prior to that, he lived for many years in Hong Kong where he founded Global Philanthropic, an international consulting firm that advises universities, non-profit organizations, and governments on strategic management issues.

Some of his earliest memories are of him and his brother pulling their red wagon around the neighborhood, knocking on doors, collecting broken radios, televisions, tape players – anything they could get their hands on – opening them up to see what made them work. As a teen, he spent a lot of time sketching with pencil and charcoal. He was especially inspired by the mind-warping works of M.C. Escher.

He received no formal training in the arts, and it wasn’t until his thirties that he found his creative voice. His interests are in visual and textural contrasts, motion, mechanics, space, time, and the use of bold colors. His influences include cubist artists like Metzinger and Picasso, and the surrealist, Storm Thorgerson.

John is currently represented by Wally Workman Gallery in Austin Texas, Galerie Goutal in Aix-en-Provance France, Gerald Peters Projects in Santa Fe, and Cinq Gallery in Dallas, He has held major exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Austin and Santa Fe. Commissions for private collectors and corporate clients are also a significant part of his work.

Download the full Artist's CV (pdf)

A Salvaged Thing

There’s a strange but familiar object, outdated and broken
     Pushed far under a table in the stale vintage shop.

I found it, sleeping under a pile of other unwanteds
     Counting the passage of time in dust.

This tool, once so sturdy, now feels fragile
     As I drag it from its resting place.

What memories are locked inside?

A salvaged thing,
     Once discarded –
     Is now magnificent.

–John A. Peralta

About Mechanations

In 2005, while living in Asia, I came across an exploded diagram of a bicycle on the back of a magazine. I was inspired by its fragile beauty, and imagined a three-dimensional version with a physical object. Using only a ruler and simple tools, which I still use today, I developed techniques for suspension which expose the inner workings of these humble mechanical objects. The subjects I choose for my Mechanations series are icons of utility and invention. I also like to think they hold memories we’ve long forgotten. They’ve watched generations pass; recorded every scene, love letter, and document. Each image, word, and note is permanently imprinted on them.