Dan Oliver: Our Nature

EVENT DESCRIPTION

JPS Gallery is pleased to present Our Nature—a solo exhibition by Dan Oliver at the gallery’s Hong Kong location. The works on display reveal Oliver’s ongoing contemplation of nature, both in the sense of the outer, physical world, and as a symbol and metaphor in the mind, where nature becomes the language of dreams and meaning.

Our Nature presents a world inherently teeming with both beauty and danger. It reminds viewers that we are part of nature, we impact it, and that nature also defines us, highlighting the everlasting bond between nature and ourselves. The world is in constant flux. Ironically, our separation from nature and the desire to control it has led to human caused climate change, and the acceleration of change has created dangers that might be beyond our control. Our Nature becomes a moment of meditation and a reminder of our deep connection with nature.

In this time of uncertainty, Oliver offers us a sense of comfort. In his new work he represents human experience through the subject of nature, memory, and the ordinary world around us. Using recurring elements such as houses from his childhood in a small American town, entwined with undisturbed climbing bushes or human figures placed against unspoiled landscapes, Oliver creates his unique painterly vocabulary. He shows us the world as if filtered and simplified through memory or dreams, and viewers are invited to pause, observe, reflect on the many meanings embedded in the images and realise how nature can provide us with poetic elements that speak the language of the psyche.

Whether human desires outweigh the importance of maintaining a peaceful natural environment will continue to be a subject of discussion. Through this exhibition, Oliver hopes to encourage viewers to pause and reflect before coming to their own conclusion.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

With his distinctive painting style that combines surrealism and rural romanticism, Dan Oliver constructs a dream-like vision of the world that is simultaneously familiar and strange. He skilfully blends past memories with concerns of the present, creating idyllic, yet haunting images evoking nostalgia, and engaging with contemporary concerns. With elements such as fire, water, empty landscapes and morphing forms, Oliver’s idyllic paintings embody emotional and provocative narratives. The paintings invite viewers to reflect upon their place in this world, leaving room for dialogue and multiple interpretations.