Oscar Murillo

Oscar Murillo is a contemporary artist known for his unique approach to art-making and his exploration of themes related to community, globalisation, and the conditions of display in the art world.

Born in Colombia in 1986, Murillo's practice is deeply rooted in his cross-cultural experiences, having travelled and worked in various cities and places. Murrillo is said to be peripatetic.

What does that mean?

If someone has a peripatetic life or career, they travel around a lot, living or working in places for short periods of time. I can relate to that.

One of the key aspects of Murillo's work is his engagement with a series of opposites, such as work and play, production and consumption, and originality and appropriation.

"My life has been about movement for a long time. I spend a lot of time in transitional spaces, like hotels and aeroplanes. In a way, that life is no longer. It’s completely at a standstill".

"Travelling has been a tool for accumulating knowledge. It’s work. I am always thinking — when travelling, on planes, anywhere — is this important?"

(Oscar Murillo,The White Review)

Oscar Murillo (untitled) Poetics of flight, (2019), Intaglio print, graphite, ink, and crayon on paper, www.davidzwirner.com

Murillo’s recent work makes pointed reference to air travel, with airplanes having become an important site of production for the artist. In his own words, flight is “not just a means of travel but a sacred ‘other’ space, the aeroplane seat itself becoming a unique ‘studio’ at a remove, a non-place which is both physically confined and freed from being in any real geographical location.”

(Obrist,2012:112)

In an online exclusive, Murillo is asked- Does it affect your mind space, the act of travelling so much?

I was thinking of Jannis Kounellis, who said that the bourgeoisie paint to create a dimensional plane of form and shadow to give you an illusion of space, whereas he, as an Arte Povera artist, used paint in his practice more as a factual thing, almost as a material and physical tool. I’m also alluding to Richard Serra in his thick applications of oil stick. I work with paint in the same way. It’s like you can pick up the paint from the canvas. The visible brushstrokes become a void in the context of each installation.

(Oscar Murillo,The White Review)

Murillo has been publicly praised repeatedly for his large-scale paintings that convey a sense of action, performance, and chaos. However, upon closer inspection, these paintings are revealed to be meticulously constructed using roughly stitched canvases. This contrast between the appearance of spontaneity and the methodical composition highlights Murillo's interest in invention.

Incorporating fragments of text, as well as studio debris like dirt and dust, Murillo's artworks often reflect the traces of their making process. These elements lend a tactile and material quality to his works, suggesting a connection to the physicality of labour and the presence of the artist in the artwork.

Murillo's projects have the ability to capture the complexities of contemporary life, the global nature of our interconnected world, and the tension between the personal and the collective. The Manifestation works initially repel you and create a distance, but as you look closer, you're drawn in by the textures and brushstrokes.

Fig 1- Oscar Murrilo, Manifestation (2019–2020), Oil, oil stick, cotton thread, and graphite on canvas and linen, ocula.com

Close-up of the above image.

This painting reminds me of Louise Bourgeois's Maman sculpture because it's both powerful and captivating but also unsettling. The different layers in the painting create interesting and tangled textures.

The artist spoke to The Guardian about his paintings,

You have a new work, Manifestations 2020-2022, in the new exhibition at Gagosian, alongside work from Gerhard Richter and Frank Bowling. How would you describe it?

Well, when I was in Colombia, I wasn’t thinking about art. I wasn’t thinking: “Oh, shit I have to be in the studio.” I was really living. But I had canvas, I had paint, and then very slowly, I got into it. I work on canvases over years. It’s like making really good wine, it takes years.

And the painting gets better over time?

Exactly. Like a very good stew or ramen broth: the richer it is, the better the ramen will be. So I had some material, but in truth, I only had myself: I didn’t have all the baggage or structure that I usually rely on to produce. And I just dived in, in this way that was very unfiltered, and this was really the birth of this work, Manifestations. (Lewis, 2023)

Murillo's artistic strengths lie in his network of relationships, encompassing his friends, family, and global explorations. I personally resonate and connect with his approach and methods. Hopefully, I can create artworks that are equally impressive as his by drawing inspiration from his work!

References.

Lewis, T. (2023) ‘Oscar Murillo: “I work on canvases for years. It”s like making really good wines’’, The Guardian, 4 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2023/jun/04/oscar-murillo-painter-gagosian-exhibition-manifestations-turner-interview (Accessed: 10 July 2023).

Murillo, O. (2019–2020) manifestation [Oil, oil stick, cotton thread, and graphite on canvas and linen]. Available at: https://ocula.com/art-galleries/david-zwirner/artworks/oscar-murillo/manifestation-(6)/?enq=0 (Accessed: 10 July 2023).

Wen, S. (2020) Interview with Oscar Murillo, The White Review. Available at: https://www.thewhitereview.org/feature/interview-with-oscar-murillo/ (Accessed: 10 July 2023).