Vanessa Onuk

Vanessa Onuk

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University: Self-taught

New Blood Art Commentary

A mist envelops Vanessa Onuk’s paintings, her subject matter sliding in and out of focus. Generally, the paintings provide sufficient information to register what is going on. We can gauge what is happening, at the very least, the constituent parts of the image are apparent. Whether a sprawling landscape or a figure in a bath, the general outline of the image is clear. Titles are there to aid us, alluding to what may not be immediately apparent from the image alone, words such as “twilight” or “evening”, for instance, indicate the temporal nature of the paintings. Paint, as a material, can take the recognisable, estrange, muddle and confuse it. Such is certainly true of Onuk’s paintings, works that guide the paint across the canvas surface, yet also give the paint a degree of autonomy, letting it bleed, drip and run. The result is that Onuk's paintings abstract existing knowledge, eschewing the obvious and providing new readings. As viewers, we are given hints and prompts but must spend time with the work to really unpack it, to develop meaning and understanding.

Artist Statement

“My abstract landscapes are intended to capture a moment in which we want to linger because the sight, the light, the color or the silhouette of an environment captivates us and we want to absorb it.”

 

Vanessa, the self-taught artist hailing from Frankfurt am Main, is renowned for her abstract renditions of landscapes and forms merging seamlessly into one another. Her works are characterized by their minimalist approach, reducing snapshots to essential graphic elements such as geometric figures, strong contrasts, and simplifications.

Vanessa's artistic process revolves around the intricate layering of colors using a predominantly transparent acrylic technique on canvas, typically pure organic linen or cotton. Her keen attention to detail is evident in her quest to blur silhouettes and forms, aiming to capture the subjective experience of a landscape.

Her works consist of abstract, expressive landscapes in which she tries to capture the emotions of the viewer through to figurative representations of the female body.

Her style is a mix of soft lines and color gradients, always with a twist of contrast and shapes that surprise and interrupt the artistic representation.

To create effects ranging from intense color bleed to sharp lines and contrasts, she always chooses organic canvas materials such as linen or cotton, which create a unique washed-out, lived-in vintage effect and also allow her to adapt to her clients' size requirements and the desired result.

Solo Exhibitions

(2024) Flowingn landscapes, Dorint Hotel, Frankfurt am Main

(2023) Eclecticism, Orange Art Foundation, Online

(2023) Solo exhibition, Teravarna Gallery, Online

Group Exhibitions

(2024) Interview, Circle Foundation, Online

(2024) Interview, Purple Haze Gallery, Online

(2023) Landscapes, ARTnow, Berlin

(2023) Interview, ArtSeen Magazine, Print

(2023) Magazine, Spotlight magazine of contemporary Art, Print/Online

Competitions, Prizes & Awards

(2023) The CFA Artist of the Year Award 2023-2024 - Finalist Award

(2023) Global talent art Prize -Finalist Award

(2023) Teravarna Figurative Finalist Award

(2024) Publication Divide Mag Magazine issue 11

(2024) Masterful Mind Award