The idea that we are not alone ‘out there’ is one that has been in our minds as human beings passed on from generation to generation and from one story or theory to the next for as long as we exist. And yet I never met two artists so convinced of other life forms existing in the dark of space, wormholes or time travel than Onur and WES21 from Switzerland. The work speaks for itself. Surreal subjects that deliberately tell stories often upside down and try to defy as many traditional rules in painting as they possibly can.
Influenced by the thought of alternative timelines and parallel universes. Through their work both are continuously exploring new colors and materials every step of the way in their current reality. Divided into two separate entities one could say that technical exploration would be in part the portion of the collaboration that is one of Onur’s passions. For example the usage of UV – light sensitive color and solvents that hide paintings within the canvases surface.
Paintings appear or can only be seen under a certain light or at a specific angle. The attention to detail and the obsessive creation of sketches and maquettes show in his photorealistic paintings when painting solo. WES21 on the other hand is “lost in deep space”. His inquisitive mind exists in a world full of giant ladybugs, moon monsters, space exploration fueled by the conviction that we are but white noise on the surface of this dystopia: earth. Reminding of Aldous Huxley or George Orwell. Both are infatuated with SciFi, laws of physics, extreme sports such as free diving. We the viewer can dive into their wonderful imagination when standing in front of one of their 3D effect murals where brains have shipwrecked, giant fish play dog eat dog or squid lighthouses are guiding the way through a galaxy of nightmares, dreamscapes and the insufficiency and failure of mankind. Two very multifaceted painters that individually are brilliant but combined multiply to something truly unique.
