artist statement

My work delves into spaces and moments that are visually forgotten, physically undefinable, misunderstood and fragmented in memory. These topographically imprecise, out-of-focus and unrecorded experiences share a non-specific quality, yet they appear strangely familiar. They are non-places and non-experiences from my existence which refuse representation by avoiding visual description and verbal explanation.

By layering organic and impulsive black mark-making with fragmented geometric shapes, nervous charcoal lines, thick acrylic paint, dirt, and liquid gestures, I offer traces of intimate moments in time and space. This process reflects my fascination with the act of creation and the conflict that arises between my impulsive nature and the strong, controlling force of my personal self. I draw from the vast and unknown space of my internal landscape, responding to the colourless and unclear non-places of my mind. These ambiguous pieces serve as records of a process marked by the absence of definable meaning, allowing me to explore and get lost in these undefined territories.

Embracing an unplanned approach, my hand initially takes control, compulsively making obsessive and spontaneous marks. Then, guided by a simple intent to respond to these initial impulses, I seek balance until the image emerges, true to my unique visual language.

With pieces that are aesthetically self-sufficient and expressive of my creative process, my work presents and offers incompleteness. These works allow multiple interpretations and invite the viewer to bridge the gap between themselves and my work by finding personal connections with the ambiguous spaces I create.

bio

Originally from Spain, Beñat Olaberria is a London-based abstract painter with an MA in Fine Art from City and Guilds of London Art School. With a non-impressionistic, non-narrative, and non-reductive approach, Beñat's practice delves into the unknown territories of his mind. Like in an unplanned walk, he constructs layered abstract pieces by reacting to his initial nervous and impulsive marks, seeking balance through his visual logic and personal language

Bañat’s work can be found in private collections across the UK, Eurpe, Asia, Canada and the USA. He has held solo exhibitions in Spain: Sin Tapujos, Barcelona, 2019. in Switzerland: Ex Materia, Concis, 2019; Peaueme, Grandson, 2022. In the Uk: One Night Stand, London 2019; A Room Without Windows, Tunbridge Wells, 2020; Site Indeterminate, London 2022. Some of his group Exhibitions include: Unplanned Walk, Madrid, Spain, 2022; Abstract, Taipei, Taiwan, 2023; Let It Bleed, Menorca, Spain, 2023; Quartet, Shanghai, China 2023; Divergence, London, UK, 2024; Golden Age, Taipei, Taiwan, 2024. Beñat has taken part in internetonal art fairs like: AAF Amsterdam, 2019; AAF London, 2021; Volta Basel, 2021; Art Taipei, 2022; Jingart Beijing, 2024; Art Taichung, 2024.