Oscar Murillo - Anomalies from a Candy Factory

Young, conceptual, and contradictory, Oscar Murillo’s work defies classification. With elements of painting, sculpture, installation and performance, it confuses and seduces the observer in equal measure.

“Untitled 1 (anomalies from a candy factory)”, a sculpture created in 2013/2014, consists of a number of stacked fruit crates similar to those used in markets and grocery stores around the world, though these are made from polished stainless steel. One stack of crates is positioned on one of the wooden podiums Oscar Murillo uses in his studio when working on his paintings. The sculpture also features concrete spheres that contain fragments from the artist’s studio, debris from the continuous creative process. Unglazed ceramic casts, slightly reminiscent of coconuts, are combined with the fruit crates and wooden pallet to create associations with everyday commerce and enhance the installation character of the work. Like in his pictures, video art and performance art, Murillo often uses symbols and signs in his sculptures that are commonly understood around the world. Distance, displacement and migration are key elements of Murillo’s artistic statement, making his work more socially relevant and topical than ever. David Zwirner, probably one of the most important contemporary galleries in the world, has represented Oscar Murillo since 2013. At the invitation of Hans Ulrich Obrist, Murillo has already given a live performance at the Serpentine Gallery in London, and has had his first two solo exhibitions at the Rubell Family Collection in Miami and at the South London Gallery.