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 Each canvas is laden with art historical references.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.

Ballon Rouge

Düsseldorf

Istanbul

Martch Art Project

Brussels

Kortrijk

Liebaert Projects

Murat Önen

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Dresden

Dresden Academy Of Fine Arts

Muscle Beach

Hung

Heap in the Dark

Stack with Yellow and Orange Light

Moving Pile Under the Blue Sky

Soft Pile

Heap with yellow and orange light

Armstack

Moving Pile

White t-shirt

Panic

Sunset

Come to Me

Untitled