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 has held solo exhibitions at 56 Henry, Towards Gallery, and Unit 17; as well as group exhibitions at Kasmin Gallery, FLAG Art Foundation and the Power Plant. He lives and works in Los Angeles.
Exhibitions
Writing & Press
Record of Creative Work (2017)
Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles (2020)
Juxtapoz Magazine (2021)
Frieze (2022)

The Decider, 2022, oil on linen, 185.4 x 157.4cm

Kronos, 2021, oil on linen, 50.8 x 45.7cm

Haydee, 2022, oil on linen, 58.4 x 50.8cm

Le Cercle Rouge, 2022, oil on linen, 96.5 x 78.7cm

Melodramatic Landscape, 2022, oil on linen, 109.2 x 139.7cm

Five Figures, 2022, oil on linen, 139.7 x 109.2cm
Giverny, 2015, oil on canvas, 50.8 x 45.7cm

Aghast, With Open Eyes, 2022, oil on linen, 139.7 x 109.2cm

If I Had a Hundred Years, 2022, oil on linen, 96.5 x 78.7cm
Vessel, 2016, oil on canvas, 50.8 x 45.7cm

World Weariness, 2022, oil on linen, 119.3 x 96.5cm

Big Splash, 2022, oil on linen, 139.7 x 109.2cm

Lisabetta de Messina, 2021, oil on linen, 50.8 x 45.7cm

Angel, After Van Dongen, 2021, oil on linen, 119.3 x 96.5cm

Mantra, 2021, oil on linen, 119.3 x 96.5cm
Arrangement, 2016, oil on canvas, 104.1 x 83cm

Weave, 2021, oil on paper, 40.6 x 30.4cm

Bathroom Scene, after Eric Rohmer, 2021, oil on paper, 40.6 x 30.4cm

Scented Gardens for the Blind, 2021, oil on paper, 40.6 x 30.4cm

installation view, 50 Million Years, Towards, Toronto, 2020
