In his solo exhibition at Perrotin New York,&nbsp;Fire the Menu,&nbsp;Oli Epp explores the absurdity of excess during times of tragedy and unrest.

L&rsquo;OFFICIEL: Could you tell us about your &nbsp;exhibition 'Fire the Menu' at Perrotin New York and the new paintings are showing? The title 'Fire the Menu' is apparently referencing the restaurant terminology for ordering an entire menu. How does this translate to your paintings? 

OLI EPP: The title of the show is 'Fire the Menu', a phrase you can use at a restaurant when you want to order all the starters, mains, desserts, and sides. The key themes of the exhibition revolve around gluttony and the absurdity of excess during times of tragedy and unrest.
All the paintings feature gentle struggles and quiet sufferings. You'll see tangled flamingos caught in a tussle in the painting Rivalry. There are synchronized swimmers who appear to be both singing, and hollering in Sync &mdash; lovers in an imaginary wedding ceremony in I for an Eye Lovers, and two veiled elephants, forced to paint in The Great Unveiling.

L&rsquo;O: In 'Fire the Menu' technology is absent, and you here focus on more classical symbolism. What prompted this shift in your artistic focus? 'Fire the Menu' explores themes of consumerism and desire. What inspired this more extravagant and romantic style of painting? 
 OE: I feel like this show marks an evolution in my practice. I&rsquo;ve been exploring the more fantastical, dreamlike, and surreal elements, and I&rsquo;ve been thinking a lot about the term &lsquo;Unrealism.&rsquo; Unlike traditional realism, which aims to depict subjects accurately and truthfully, Unrealism deliberately distorts reality, creating a space where the impossible becomes plausible and the ordinary turns extraordinary. This movement often integrates digital techniques and modern technologies, reflecting the increasingly blurred lines between reality and virtuality in the 21st century. The objects I paint here are still technology - but they are from a different time. They are arguably more romantic. A violin is a wooden machine, as in Busk. My work still has all the features that I term Post-Digital Pop: bold, flat planes of color and exaggerated forms that create a sense of cartoonism, alongside unsettling realism. This style is used to explore themes of modern life such as consumerism and identity, as I frequently depict faceless figures engaged in everyday activities. This latest series presents a maturing: characters inhabit a darker dream world that is not so unlike the real one.

L&rsquo;O: Humor plays a significant role in your work, often paired with critique. How do you balance these elements to create a compelling narrative?

OE: I feel that, during times of unrest and difficulty, humor is needed. My work has always had this bright, pop aesthetic, masking more sobering truths. Humor creates connections, and being playful balances appeal and provocation. I like that they have a satirical flavor, but don&rsquo;t push a moral position &ndash; there is no judgment, just reflection. They are avoidant of stance.
Some of this humor comes from subversion and surprise, as in the inverted Wasabi painting. The diptych work Last Dance is the only piece that doesn&rsquo;t hang in the hallway. It&rsquo;s a painting about being old, but feeling young. It sets a precedent for the exhibition. The work is inspired by my grandmother who had a stroke a month before I began preparing for the show. I began to imagine what a couple&rsquo;s last dance might look like: a whirlwind affair laced with tragedy and madness. Dentures are airborne, pearls are breaking. It&rsquo;s bittersweet.

L&rsquo;O: How has your experience in the London art scene and starting PLOP influenced your practice? Has mentoring other artists impacted your own artistic development?
 OE: Absolutely. I&rsquo;ve always wanted to wage a war against New York, and cultivate an energy in my city. It&rsquo;s about bringing great talent to London to experience the museums, the galleries, and to have an open dialogue. If I wasn&rsquo;t a painter I&rsquo;d be in hospitality&mdash; I love hosting people, and enabling art-making feels like a part of my practice.&nbsp;
PLOP Residency began in 2018 with my belief that you can go to Yale and pay for an MFA course, or you can invite great artists to come and join you for lunch. It&rsquo;s really a continuation of art school for me. I have a lot of love and care for my city and the programme gives me a creative and dynamic life&mdash; no month looks the same as the one before.

L&rsquo;O: The concept of "performance" is central to your new work. How do you define "performance" in the context of your art? 
OE: There&rsquo;s definitely a theme of &lsquo;spectacle&rsquo; in this exhibition, with many performers playing their parts. We have a busker, synchronized swimmers, dancers, and ribbonette flamingos. The most autobiographical work is The Great Unveiling depicting two shrouded elephants, representing me and my painting assistant in the studio. As an artist, I consider part of my role to be an entertainer as much as a painter, but so much of the work is hidden. Here, these emotional and sensitive creatures are reduced to circus tricks and are forced to create. They are surrounded by discarded golden eggs, symbols of value and potential, referencing the potential loss or devaluation of genuine creativity in favor of spectacle, and the demands of producing.
 
L&rsquo;O: Your parents are both Canadian, and your mother is a dentist. Tell us a little bit about your background, and how you decided to pursue a life as an artist?

OE: My mum is a dentist and cosmetic surgeon. She once called me her sculpture, and has wanted to give me botox since I was 16! I&rsquo;ve only let her mold me fake teeth&mdash; one of which I chipped preparing for this show. I like a sharp incisor. In terms of becoming an artist&mdash; there was never a plan B. 

L&rsquo;O: Your kitchen is described as a &lsquo;microcosm of your imaginative universe&rsquo;. What&rsquo;s so special about your kitchen? How do your surroundings influence your creative process?
 
OE: I use my pantry almost as an installation piece. I love logos, and imported goods you can&rsquo;t find in London. I suppose it in itself is a performance as I host a lot, and people stay at my house all the time. It&rsquo;s an open door policy. I think I have very hungry eyes! 

L&rsquo;O: What else do you have coming up? 
OE: I&rsquo;m juggling a few projects and there&rsquo;s lots on the cards. I am curating a group exhibition for Perrotin Paris, and am excited that I have my first solo Museum exhibition in Taiwan in 2025! I&rsquo;d love to design a children&rsquo;s playground at a permanent location. This is an ongoing dream.

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Oli Epp</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">Fire the Menu&nbsp;</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">September 6- October 19</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;">
<div dir="ltr">PERROTIN NEW YORK</div>
<div dir="ltr">130 ORCHARD STREET</div>
<div dir="ltr">NEW YORK, NY, 10002</div>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.perrotin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">www.perrotin.com</a></div>

Oli Epp’s New Unrealism

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