Artist: Pascal Sender

Opening this March, Swiss artist Pascal Sender presents his second solo exhibition in London, a new body of work that captures contemporary recreation in a digital age. Sender paints post futurist-scenes that blur the line between the human and the mechanical, figures morph across the canvas expressing the dynamism, speed and energy of the 21st century. His compositions breathe new life into historical references, Boccioni’s iconic bicycle is replaced with modern electrified modes of transport: a jet ski, a dune buggy, a scooter. Similarly, a Picasso-style Cubist study of an acoustic guitarist is reimagined as a headbanging electric guitarist, each strum generating bolts of lightning.

Sender elevates street life to fine art, depicting everyday characters as they transcend into a “state of flow” fully immersed in their activities. A skateboarder performs a kickflip, fragmented like an animation strip both the skater and board suspended in fluid motion. Sender explores complex studies of movement and the human figure, yet his painting style remains effortless and playful. Blending classical oil painting with instinctive, freehand lines sprayed through an air compressor, he creates a striking contrast between tradition and the raw immediacy of street art.

Beyond the canvas, Sender pushes the boundaries of conventional painting by integrating augmented reality. His hand-coded app allows viewers to experience his works in an entirely new dimension - characters leap off the canvas, transforming into animated, interactive figures that merge the physical and digital realms. This groundbreaking fusion of painting and technology offers a poignant reflection on modern life, where virtual and tangible realities increasingly intertwine.

ABOUT PASCAL SENDER
Pascal Sender studied at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Peter Doig before moving to London to study at the Royal Academy School. Sender paints complex studies of the human figure and everyday scenes of contemporary living - a receptionist on her phone, an oiled-up bodybuilder posing for a selfie, a man waiting for a bus. Besides creating masterful paintings, Sender has created an innovation so that the pictures can be viewed in Augmented Reality. Throughout his career, Sender has participated in various exhibitions, including a solo show at Saatchi Yates in London in 2020. His work has been featured in group exhibitions such as "Heimspiel" at Kunstmuseum St. Gallen in 2021 and "Die Grosse" at Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf in 2022. In 2023, Sender had a solo exhibition entitled ‘Captcha 2826’ at Fondazione Bevilaqua La Masa in Venice.