Murat Önen

Murat Önen

BornNationalityBased In
N/ATurkishDüsseldorf
Biography

Murat Önen’s paintings challenge the binary, heteronormative understandings of masculinity, and carve out a space for representation of queer intimacy and release. Sometimes tender in tone, other times humorously debaucherous, Önen wields oils on linen to portray sleekly sculpted torsos or bundles of bodies piled on top of one another. Flailing limbs are bathed in orange hues, or flexed biceps awashed in dreamy tones of blue. Each canvas is laden with art historical references. The strong colours and defined brushstrokes evoke a Fauvist painterly style; the dramatic rupturing of Önen’s figures mirrors the work of Guston or Bacon, while the use of light and movement is reminiscent of Delacroix and Tinteretto. The dramatic composition of bodies also has a touch of Baroque theatrical flair, with Rococo pastels offering moments of lightness. All at once moody and joyful, melancholic and effervescent, these paintings speak to the immense comfort and support of chosen families, while the darker aspects reflect the isolation experienced by queer communities in patriarchal societies. ...

Selected Artworks
Untitled
Murat Önen
Untitled, 2020
65 x 42cm
Moving Pile
Murat Önen
Moving Pile, 2022
130 x 110cm
Armstack
Murat Önen
Armstack, 2022
92 x 81cm
Armstack
Murat Önen
Armstack, 2022
91 x 81cm
Soft Pile
Murat Önen
Soft Pile, 2022
91 x 81cm
Moving Pile Under the Blue Sky
Murat Önen
Moving Pile Under the Blue Sky, 2022
180 x 155cm
Stack with Yellow and Orange Light
Murat Önen
Stack with Yellow and Orange Light, 2022
130 x 110cm
Heap in the Dark
Murat Önen
Heap in the Dark, 2022
130 x 110cm
Untitled
Murat Önen
Untitled, 2020
65 x 42cm
Come to Me
Murat Önen
Come to Me, 2017
42 x 30cm
Sunset
Murat Önen
Sunset, 2020
40 x 29.8cm
Panic
White t-shirt
Murat Önen
White t-shirt, 2020
40 x 30cm
Heap with yellow and orange light
Murat Önen
Heap with yellow and orange light, 2022
140 x 100cm
Hung
Muscle Beach
Murat Önen
Muscle Beach, 2017
42 x 30cm
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