Gerben Mulder

Gerben Mulder explores flowers, animals and the human figure as starting points for his oneiric, erotically charged paintings. In fragmentary scenes or still lifes, his work’s taciturn environment reflects echoes of hallucination back toward the viewer. Shifting between adult faces and childlike bodies, his ever-changing characters walk a fine line between innocence and perversion. Mulder employs a somber palette and turbulent gestures to portray threatening beings. In spite of his images’ eerie subject matter, the artist treats his somewhat pathetic, dislocated creatures with a sarcastic sense of humor, as evidenced in the crooked smiles and ironic titles of many of his paintings.

Among his recent solo shows are Gerben Mulder & Iberê Camargo, Carpintaria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2024); Turbulence and Flux, Gallery Oisterwijk, Netherlands (2024); Pareidolie, Salon du Dessin, Marseille, France (2023); Moon Madness, La Banane Galerie, Marseille, France (2023) and Rumba Decadente, Marisa Newman Projects, New York, USA (2022). The artist has taken part in the group shows Heritage, DnA Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands (2024); Nunca Só Essa Mente, Nunca Só Esse Mundo, Carpintaria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2023); LA XX NL, PRJCTLA, Frank Taal Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands / Los Angeles, USA (2022) and Echoes are Visible, The Boiler 191, Brooklyn, New York, USA (2022).