Exhibition of American artist Peter Opheim - "PITER’S CREATURES"

The fabulous and unique world of Peter Opheim begins with miniature models of future characters, made of multi-colored polymer clay. Despite its unusual appearance, each figurine has its own prototype, name or history, which turn it into an individual, vivid and characteristic image. At the next stage of the work, the artist transfers his hero to the canvas, creating a ceremonial pictorial portrait of a large format. Thus, Peter Opheim inspires a new life in the working methods of the Old Masters, who made small clay models for their compositions or worked with a mannequin dressed in the costume of the client of the portrait. However, in his practice, Peter relies primarily on the sensory perception of the moment, because his characters are distinguished by their independence and independent character.

Peter Opheim’s paintings are windows to the amazing universe hidden in the soul of every adult. In it, the earliest experiences and impressions merge with the secret desires, emotions and anxieties of maturity. Peter Opheim skillfully embodies this contradictory mixture of human internal states on canvas in the form of playful and frightening biomorphic images.

The unique technique of Peter Opheim bridges the gap between painting and sculpture: the images on his canvases seem almost three-dimensional, and the use of bold color combinations turns the models into an independent work of polychrome sculpture. “Our fifth anniversary year continues with the exhibition of Peter Opheim, where we present a new series of works by this master. Most of the works have been created in the past two years, however, unlike many contemporary artists, Peter avoids pressing issues on the agenda, preferring to continue an in-depth study of the characters and images generated by his imagination. This is the third personal exhibition that the author will personally present in Moscow, and I am glad that Russian viewers will have the opportunity to plunge into his amazing and vibrant world, "said Polina Askeri.owner of ASKERI GALLERY.

About the artist

Peter Opheim is an American artist currently based in New York. He studied Oriental Studies and Economics at St. Olaf (USA), while not leaving the dream to realize himself in art. Opheim began his career as an abstractionist, but after looking for his own style, he moved away from this direction. He wanted to create something more unique, unusual and provocative - and this is how a series of works with the image of incredible, like plasticine, figures was born.

In his works, Opheim creates a new fantasy world inhabited by characters that never existed in reality. However, his paintings have a real reference: plasticine figurines sculpted by the artist, from which he paints either portraits or still lifes. Plasticine, colorful funny animals of irregular shape - all these are attributes of the world of childhood, which is subject to reflection by the artist. In the deformed parts of the bodies, in the unnaturalness of colors, children’s fears are hidden, just as in fairy tales an archetypal fear is hidden behind the innocence of the plot.

Peter Opheim received a grant from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Several of his works are in the collections of New York and South Korean museums, while others have become the property of private collections such as the Hallmark collection, Northwest Airlines and the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas collection. His works were presented by ASKERI GALLERY at the international fairs Cosmoscow 2018, Art Shanghai 2018, SCOPE New York and SCOPE Miami Beach in 2019 and 2020.