Oliver Marsden

Galería Hilario Galguera presents All We Have is Now by British artist Oliver Marsden.

A hypnotic sensation permeates the gallery space. Memory, energy, sound and spirituality are optimized in minimalist paintings that reflect a global intimate understanding. Despite the silence and stillness, circular painting from different series convey a sense of movement, perhaps evoking their origin: an analysis of the impact of sound on water and the materiality of sound waves led to the creation of the Harmonics series, which later evolved into the OM Halo and Stella series. Even during their creation, the artist remains almost motionless while the paintings rotate on their own to absorb oil or acrylic. The Spiral Void series explores the emptiness that has been studied throughout history in art and philosophy. The circles in the series seem to turn into mirrors, reflecting the doubts and thoughts of each individual.

These series create a phenomenon the artist calls a perceptual leap, where the sense of depth is lost, and the viewer feels as if they are inside the painting, in a meditative field. The reduction of the painting to seemingly simple elements and forms is an attempt by the artist to investigate a universal truth, when halos and aureoles of saints and Buddhas can be interpreted, but also the displacement of energy in the form of light and sound.

The Grid series examines reality through sacred geometry with meticulously painted mesh in acrylic. These paintings are meant to reveal the order and the harmony that it is hidden in the apparent chaos in the contemporary world. Similarly, the Fade series offers an escape from the disorder and oversaturation of today’s urbanity. Its faded colors are ghosts of the way the artist stores memories in his mind, until a personal experience is transformed into universal feelings.

Contrasting with the mathematical precision of the other pieces, the Hydro series aims to replicate the fluidity of a waterfall, their organic silhouettes study water, an element that is repeated in Marsden’s artistic studio. Throughout his life, different aquatic bodies have helped the artist to question with perspective his existence, analyzing how water reflects different elements, such as gravity, or even wind, the invisible becomes visible.

All We Have is Now invites us to lose ourselves for a moment in the present, capturing our gaze and captivating us with a language that transcends cultural differences to offer an introspective space for reflection and peace. Marsden’s work comes as a much-needed breath before our return to everyday life.

–Icka Gallego

Gallery participating in GAMA WEEK from September 19 to 22, 2024.