De Bizige Bij – Aantekeningen Bij Een Moord 2019

Owen Gent made this artwork using a muted colour palette of browns, creams, and blues, layering figures in a space. This approach reveals an artmaking process where ghostly shapes emerge through overpainting. The material aspects of the work, its texture and colour, give it a very particular mood. The paint looks quite thin and transparent, with a visible grain, and the layering of the figures adds to a sense of depth. Take a look at the dark, grainy figure in the foreground. The way its shoulders are defined with just a few dark strokes, it really pulls the whole composition together, and gives the piece a feeling of tension and uncertainty. I'm reminded of Marlene Dumas, whose work often explores similar themes of memory and identity through a layering of transparent washes, resulting in similarly ambiguous and emotionally charged imagery. Ultimately, this artwork embraces ambiguity, inviting us to contemplate the complexities of human experience.