OSCAR MURILLO

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.’

The drawings presented here bring together elements of Murillo’s expansive studio practice and peripatetic approach to art making. As in his large-scale canvases, through an associative working method, Murillo builds layers of imagery and phrases as well as gestural markings in intuitively placed planes, resulting in dense, visually layered surfaces.

The artist begins by rapidly drawing the image directly onto a copper plate, using sharp tools to spontaneously achieve a singular motif or image. The image is then printed onto paper, and at times, modified during the transfer process. He continues to build upon these compositions over the course of his extensive travels using ink, graphite, or crayon. The drawings ultimately surface a sense of movement, transmission, and verticality-implicitly recalling how information makes an impression.

Murillo’s work is also on view in a solo presentation at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, in England (through June 23, 2019), and in a two-person exhibition with Tony Cokes at The Shed, New York (June 19 through August 25, 2019).

On the occasion of the artist’s solo exhibition in London, Murillo will be in conversation with John Slyce, his former teacher at London’s Royal College of Art, on Tuesday, July 9.