Nicasio Fernandez

Nicasio Fernandez paints cartoon-like figures, both surreal and bizarre. "Painting the emotional exchange in mind while capturing the essence of daily life wrapped in an absurd territory” is the sentiment at the heart of his work. His figures have skin tones of warm magentas, sun yellows, and glowing oranges. Often, they have exaggerated body parts and facial features. In the studio, Fernandez starts by sketching ideas, and testing out different compositions. Then, he mixes rich colours, creating a smooth blend of paint on canvas. There’s a frenetic energy in his paintings, like the Chicago Imagists – a group of artists from the mid-1960s in America. They used bold lines and colours to distort the human body.

Within the artist’s work figures act out surreal and grotesque activities which are, at times, relatable. Sometimes this is physical. In Snap (2022) a figure gets its tongue caught in a mouse trap. In Get Back Here (2022) a purple hand yanks a figure by the collar of its T-shirt. Other paintings have a more contemplative mood. Longing (2021) and In My Feelings (2021) show the early moments of the Covid-19 lockdown ebb and flow. Relatable or strange, these characters embody a spectrum of emotional tension and absurdity.