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.