Untitled Everything

Richard Koh Fine Art, Kuala Lumpur, 2019

Richard Koh Fine Art (RKFA-KL) is pleased to announce Berlin-based Icelandic artist Georg Óskar’s (b. 1985) first solo exhibition in Malaysia. Untitled Everything is scheduled to run from 22 August – 14 September 2019 at Richard Koh Fine Art, 229, Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, Bangsar 59000, Kuala Lumpur. The artist will present 15 paintings on canvas and linen.

Georg Óskar’s distinctive style of figurative canvases lends itself to a more crooked representation that often walks a thin line between humour and truth. In keeping with his themes of humour and self-awareness, Óskar continues to expand his artistic voice vis-à-vis philosophical content grounded in levity. He uses painting as an expression of his thoughts and inner dialogue, and life’s small happenings as his main resource.

Untitled Everything is considered the artist’s journey in locating the space between extremes and finding balance in a world of good and bad. This body of works distinguishes itself from traditional portraitures, as it attempts to capture a mood of the subject matter or perhaps the artist himself, rather than something at face value. The naïve manner of painting in Untitled Everything, juxtaposed with the melancholic tone, portrays the complexities of contemporary life and prompts introspection from its viewer.

The works contemplate the space between reality and other worlds, in which the artist describes as a ‘fog’. The ambiguity and chaos of everything we experience in this space are mirrored in the murkiness of the artist’s colour palette. Feelings of confusion and exasperation are depicted through his cartoonish, if not ghoulish, subjects and portraits that flirt with the subconscious with titles like Waking Up On A Pretty Day and I Missed You So Much. The titles, along with the occasional writing embedded within the paintings, are considered Óskar’s personal conversation with the canvas, concurrently providing hints of the mindset and mood into each work.