Tristan Unrau

Tristan Unrau (b. 1989) holds an MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Unrau paints in opposition to the idea that an artist must contain a specific style, instead asking the viewer to let each painting stand alone with its own voice. He examines the difference between voice and style while wondering what the conditions for a pictorial practice might be. Unrau is adept in diverse painting techniques referencing a broad range of styles from Romanticism and Realism to Post-Impressionism and Expressionism. His works are often tragicomic and irreverent, celebrating art history while poking fun at it. Unrau sets up dialectical relationships between diverse imagery and encourages the viewer to find a path through the paintings, allowing their own connections to guide interpretation and meaning. While each picture is distinct in its reference and style, they share a common concern with what painting can mean for us today and what it has meant for us in the past.

Unrau was a 2013 resident at the Banff Centre and a three-time finalist in the Royal Bank of Canada Painting Competition. He has held recent solo shows at 56 Henry, Towards Gallery, and Sebastian Gladstone Gallery. He lives and works in Los Angeles.