Omar Arason

Axis Gallery is excited to present new paintings from Sacramento artist, Omar Thor Arason. His current body of work explores the hypothetical overlap between theoretical physics, psychology, religion and mythology. Taking an enthusiast’s approach to complex subjects rather than a comprehensive understanding offers exciting implications that are closed to those who possess a deep understanding of the subjects i.e. in many ways the more knowledge is acquired, the more one becomes aware of the limitations and boundaries. The work imagines a reality where these varied fields collide, interweave, and exert their influence on each other, with embedded figures serving as the ever present conscious observer.

Our conception of reality is really just a story that we tell ourselves to provide a coherent narrative that we can place ourselves within. Recent studies and emergent theories regarding the nature of consciousness, the illusion of free will, and theory of mind shed light on how precarious our personality traits and our “nature” are. With seemingly minor trauma to the brain, shift in gut-biome, or the ingestion of a psychoactive substance, a person can be permanently and radically changed. It is this volatile aspect of our “selves” that has become a recurring theme in my studio practice, both in regard to content, but also in approaches to the work, which at times produce results that seem both unfamiliar and alien.