The Garden, invites viewers to journey through snapshots of Olaso’s memories through this array of his colourful and lush abstract still lifes

Having exhibited in Finland, Spain, France, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Japan, Olaso is undeniably a powerful force driving contemporary abstraction with his colourful and expressive still lifes. His second solo show in London with JD Malat Gallery, The Garden, showcases the latest developments in Olaso’s work and inspirations.

Presenting ten large-scale works, The Garden is packed with bold colours and natural motifs and transforms the exhibition space into a representation of Olaso’s daily life and surroundings.

Bursting with energy and colour, Olaso’s lively reinterpretation of the still life painting turns the traditionally foreboding genre on its head. Mixing the abstract with the representational, his “unstill” lifes reflect the vibrant Spanish dining culture in the artist’s local Bilbao.

Identifying his paintings as a form of abstract self-portrait, Olaso has defined his process as akin to therapy – a moment where he is free of social conditioning, obligations, and pretenses. In order to allow for absolute expression and freedom within his work, Olaso’s two-step approach to painting, dubbed Action and Analysis, bridges chaos and order. Initially painting on pure instinct, Olaso creates raw shapes, patterns, and maps of colour across the canvas. Then, after hours of inspection and analysis, he grades what works for the painting and what doesn’t. Through this method, Olaso is able to create uninhibited, emotive, and visceral paintings reflecting his irrational subconscious self, while still evolving as an artist piece by piece and collection by collection.

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