Morell’s painting Translations (2024) presents ribbon-like forms floating across a luminous background of pink and yellow tones. The brushstrokes shift between transparency and density, creating a sense of both dissolution and cohesion. The forms point toward the organic yet remain enigmatic and open to interpretation. The work continues Morell’s exploration of illusion and the hidden, where abstraction and figuration meet in an ambiguous pictorial world.

The work was exhibited in the group show Whispers in the breeze, seeking shade at PLUS-ONE Gallery in Antwerp (22.06 – 01.09.2024), and later in the group exhibition The Present at QB Gallery in Oslo (November 2024).

Lars Morell (b. 1980, NO) graduated from the Academy of Fine Art in Oslo. Primarily a painter, his practice also includes sculpture, installation, and photography.

His work revolves around the relationship between abstraction and representation. Morell often describes his pieces as distorted still lifes that evoke a sense of illusion and deception. At first glance, the forms may resemble natural branches or roots, but they open toward other possible readings, creating a pictorial world defined by ambiguity.

In recent years, he has developed painting series where organic figures appear to grow across the canvas. His palette ranges from muted earth tones to vibrant pigments, with brushwork shifting between spontaneous gestures and carefully adjusted transitions. Morell often paints wet-on-wet without corrections, giving the works a direct and immediate energy.

Alongside painting, he has created sculptures that expand on the same visual language. These sculptural works invite compositions to be experienced from all angles, alternating between polished and more raw surfaces.

Morell has exhibited widely in Norway and internationally, including in Paris, London, Antwerp, and Copenhagen. His works are held in the collections of Malmö Art Museum, Sørlandets Kunstmuseum, Equinor Art Programme, KLP, and Hoff Collection.