For Murillo, the idea of physical presence and gesture in painting is connected to the act of using one’s body to demonstrate dissent in the face of power. In fact, the term manifestation is commonly used in several languages to describe a political protest. The presentation of this series has often exceeded the traditional limitations of the gallery wall, such as in Oscar Murillo: Horizontal Darkness in Search of Solidarity (2019–2020) at the Kunstverein in Hamburg, where the works formed part of an agora-like seating arena. This immersive installation was the venue for a series of talks, discussions, performances, and working sessions centred around working forms of transnational support, an environment for manifesting solidarity that reimagined the paintings as catalysts for political practices. Continuing the artist’s investigation of painting as a medium for debate and discourse, the new paintings challenge the manipulations and obfuscations of meaning that proliferate in our era of accelerated communication. Through the transformation and obliteration of language, Murillo demonstrates the possibilities for new meanings and narratives to emerge.
David Zwirner
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