His work is striking. At LISTE, Deplazes is exhibiting a group of paintings that feature verdant scenery overlaid with androgynous pink human figures. These worlds Deplazes creates have often been described as apocalyptic — not necessarily by the artist himself — but they seem to give over an overwhelming impression of savage nature, in juxtaposition with the vulnerability of his naked figures. Once a middle distance runner, Deplazes speaks of an intense awareness of his corporeality which inspires the presence of these bodies, “I learnt from my coaches an awareness of my body, and so I became very sensitive to movement,” he says. “I sometimes wonder if the presence of these figures came from this period of my life and the way I now observe things.” Yet his painted bodies are not strong or virile or athletic, they are flabby and unsculpted, hiding themselves from their surroundings; the fluorescent pink of their skin evoking a raw wound.
Andriu Deplazes, Körper und Baum, 2017, oil on canvas 105 x 170cm
These figures are more concretely inspired by the contrast of man and nature. “I often see people running through parks, they are battling with themselves, trying to lose weight or get fit, and I find it interesting to observe such scenes,” says Deplazes, these raw movements against a dreamy, perfect, nature become a source of inspiration. His work largely operates around this strange familiarity, a feeling of unease mixed with identification.
The paintings begin with a series of sketches, often drawn from memory, but rooted in reality. “These works are dreamlike, but they have to have a sense of realness about them in order to engage people,” he explains. “If someone is moved by my work, it’s because there is something human to it. People can recognize the sentiment behind it.” This accessibility manifests itself nonetheless with a strong underpinning of an art historical informedness and painting becomes a means of understanding. “When I was at art school,” says Deplazes, “there were lots of canonical artists that I didn’t understand. But once I started trying to address their subject through my own practice, all of a sudden I understood.”
Andriu Deplazes, Körper und Hund, 2017, oil on canvas 165 x 200cm
Over a period of around three months, his paintings slowly evolve before he is ready to display the work to outside eyes. “My practice is solitary,” he explains “I started this body of work two years ago during the school holidays (Deplazes only finished his bachelor's degree in September) and it was the first time I had worked for a long period without anyone critiquing my work. At this time I realized I really needed to take my time and have my privacy during the painting process before I am able to have an exterior perspective,” he explains. This is interesting because Deplazes is deeply interested in the notion of performativity. A current project he is working on sees him collaborate with a dancer, who will move to his improvisations on the clarinet. “I adore live performance,” he says; “when you’re playing in front of an audience and you react according to them. It’s a different form of interaction with painting.”
The next step for the artist however is to take a step back from his practice. Having only just finished his studies, and been awarded a large enough cash prize to sustain his work for the foreseeable future, he is keen to ensure that his practice moves forward at a measured pace. “I think there is a risk of beginning to create like a machine,” he says. This measured and slow-paced process seems to define Deplazes’ attitude towards his work as a whole, and he certainly doesn’t seem to have the intention to orient his practice towards any external demands be it the art market or otherwise. “Since I graduated, I have painted a lot and participated in a number of exhibitions, and I really want to take the time to come up with a response to what I have created here.”
