Murat Önen

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 Each canvas is laden with art historical references.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 began as a nomadic gallery in September of 2017. In our first two years we put up exhibitions in Istanbul, London, Los Angeles, Brussels, Sao Paulo, Paris, and New York. Each of the cities we visited was stewarded by a ‘collective member’ - a curator who introduced us to artists and to their respective city’s art scene. In March of 2019 we made Brussels our home city, inaugurating our permanent space. While we will continue to do shows abroad alongside our collective members, our primary location is now Brussels. Besides our own exhibitions, the space in Brussels sometimes hosts invited international galleries to show with us in exchange for a show of ours at theirs - a further continuation of our ethos of collaboration and collectivity. So far we have collaborated or will soon collaborate with Hannah Barry Gallery (London); Melange (Cologne); Galerist (Istanbul); Gallery Artbeat, (Tbilisi); the Pill (Istanbul); Pi Artworks (Istanbul, London); Vitrine (London, Basel). ...