From spicy and visually pleasure-heavy to occasionally viciously violent paintings, Oh de Laval captures intimate human desires within a canvas while injecting an air of comedy and playfulness. The half Thai and half Polish artist has been paving her way through the art world as she displays an honest truth that may be hidden in most of us through her highly erotic set of works.
Her art has an instant effect in capturing a viewer’s attention as one can go from shock to wonder then amusement just by one frame of a story. Like her alluring pieces, the Warsaw-born creative is a riveting force of nature who presents an eye-opening outlook on human interactions with her own curiosity. Jumping from one European city to another, Oh embodies her surroundings and eclectic characters she encounters while slightly injecting influences from films and publications.
She had quite the productive past two years despite the pandemic with collaborations for the likes of Gucci to debut the luxury brand’s G-Timeless watch as well as an EP cover artwork for Kali Uchis’To Feel Alive. Afterwhich, she unveiled her first solo exhibition, entitled “Wild Things Happen in Stillness,” with Unit London right after the lockdown was lifted. Oh is now in preparation for another chapter in Paris along with showcasing her concepts through other forms of mediums.
In the latest installment of the Studio Visits series, HYPEBEAST spoke to Oh about her growth as an artist, inspirations as well as aspirations and perspectives on going through the motions of creativity.
HYPEBEAST: How did you get the name Oh De Laval? Does it stand for anything?
Oh de Laval: It’s actually the opposite. I started doing art really early and not as a painter, but as a street artist. And of course, as a street artist, you cannot sign your name under what you do so I had to create something, and then I created my own opinion — my view on it was that I wanted to create a name that has no meaning so that me as an artist and my art give meaning to it. So when you hear about Oh de Laval paintings it doesn’t have any other connotations to anything else. So that’s what I wanted to achieve — it doesn’t have any meaning behind it as I wanted to give it meaning.
Have you always been interested in art since a young age? Was there a pivotal moment when you realized that this is what you wanted to pursue?
I think there are people in the world that know straight away what do you want to do, but I don’t think I was one of these people. I was just trying different things you know, in life, just to see. I used to study design as well because I was so into it, but the reality of doing design is so different from liking design. When I dropped out of design school, I started to paint and it really worked out for me.
Then I started using Instagram and it’s perfect because it’s only based on photos — you don’t have to write anything. So I just post a photo of my painting and I don’t have to say anything about it and it’s just there and could be like a diary. That’s how I started at the beginning then growing from there I was always finding out more and trying more and just kept trying. It just kind of became like an addiction to me, and now I’m super addicted to painting and it never was about money — it’s about passion.
“When I paint I don’t think about different paintings. When I paint I think about life. For me, that’s the subject matter.”
Where do you draw your sultry inspiration from?
I think during quarantine it was mostly movies because I just tried to consume as many intense movies as I could, but I don’t really like that kind of inspiration because I feel it’s reused — you reuse someone’s creativity within your creativity so it’s not equally as an idea that comes to your mind.
I much more prefer when I go out. I don’t really go out to socialize but I love observing people like looking at people and what they do. From talking about anything to meeting friends of friends; it’s a mix of societies and a mix of everything. Very little inspiration in my paintings comes from movies or the internet. It’s more like, what I hear what I see, is only mine, you know?
You’ve mentioned before that Francis Bacon is one notable artist that you look up to. Are there other artists that inspired your intimate compositions or style of painting?
Yeah, it’s really hard to be innovative anymore. But I don’t want to be this person putting bananas on walls sticking them with tape. Like it’s cool. It’s good stuff. Someone needs to do it. But I don’t want to be that person. I want to be innovative in my own way and just be true to myself as well. When I paint I don’t think about different paintings. When I paint I think about life. For me, that’s the subject matter.
Like every artist, I don’t like to be compared to other artists. I hate that, but I pretend I don’t. Like lots of people tell me that if Francis Bacon and George Condo would have a baby that will be Oh De Laval. I mean I would take that because I love both of them anyway. They’re amazing at what they do and if I’m like a baby of them I’ll take that compliment. People will always compare to something that they know. So it’s normal.
I always love when somebody gives me new artists. I’m not interested in their art, but I will watch their interviews and what they say. It’s something I always look for because the final paintings are like the ashes of the personality of the artist. I look at the artist as a person.
Favorite artwork of yours at the moment.
I know I don’t love all my kids. Unfortunately, I’m that kind of mom. I’m very picky. I think the Venice artwork that I’ve made. I love that one because it has movement and I’m really interested in the movements in a painting because usually, it’s just very still. It’s very cocky like with this policeman and all these drunk people. I feel like lots of people like to think they’re them.
I made this painting before I actually went around Venice. So it’s funny. I totally fell in love with this city and how it works with all the canals. I think the food is great and the people there and the architecture is crazy. The fanciest dinners I’ve ever seen were invented there. They are not in Paris or London. They do the craziest dinners with the craziest long tables, flowers, decorations.
Can you walk us through your creative process?
My creative process is super complicated because it never stops. The ideas come to me from very random places and I don’t know why. When I look at it now it’s like putting puzzles together but the puzzle doesn’t have a form yet. They are just random puzzles you put together in your head and take out and put another. That’s how my creative process works.
I really change things while I’m painting. I am now very interested in limiting colors, so I’m not really interested in doing very colorful and shouty art anymore. I’m more interested to show as much as possible with limited colors and still be very strong and visceral with what I want to express. That’s how I challenge myself.
I don’t sketch my paintings because I think sketches are for not very brave people. So when I go ahead, it needs to always go right. Sometimes I just put the canvas on the wall and I look at it for a few days. I just sketch in my head — sight positioning. The perspective is very important and how we position everything. And in my head, that’s where all these layers are made.
What has been keeping you busy lately? Has covid impacted your progress in any way?
Yeah, COVID was horrible to us all. But I was the most productive during COVID because I was just working so much and I had my solo show and a huge space at Unit London. So I had to deliver eight new pieces of artwork. That started literally the day the quarantine finished.
Think about not talking to people for two years, then I had all these people coming to the gallery and talking to me and you have to look the best and you have to just be so social. I learned a lot. I think it was difficult. Surely wise, because I need people to see my paintings and I need to observe them. It’s really satisfying to meet people. I think I did the best of it from the quarantine period. I really appreciate what I have now much more than before quarantine.
I’m like every party that I go to, it’s the last party of my life. If you tell me there’s a party, it’s like what if quarantine will happen again tomorrow so we’re like okay, let’s go for it. It’s just a matter of time so let me just do the best I can with that time. So when I’m in the next quarantine sitting in my house, I’ll know I made the most of it.
“I could just sit in this flat and keep painting for the rest of my life but I wouldn’t evolve and if I won’t evolve then my paintings won’t progress either.”
What does your daily workday routine look like? Starting from 5:00 am as you mentioned earlier.
Yeah, 5:00 am sometimes 4:30. I’ve always been like that. I wake up early, have tea, sit to paint and do anything else before I start to paint. Then I get breakfast and go on to about 1:00 pm, 2 or 3 depending on how the painting goes, because I’m the type of person when the paintings go bad, I think it’s good to stop and maybe go for a walk, then come back and look at it.
I could work on it for 24 hours non-stop till I get what I want and then I can have a nap. Just because it’s going the direction I wanted. If it’s not then I don’t take any breaks. I don’t go out till I finish a painting and then I treat myself to my favorite food and award — ramen — then I’m thinking about the next painting already and how I will position it. It’s non-stop.
You’ve still been able to keep up the momentum of travel. What’s your favorite city so far?
My favorite city is the city I’m moving to now — Paris. It has always been my favorite and I used to live there for a bit and then I moved back to the UK and now I’m going back. I feel Paris will have more influence on me to progress as an artist and I will learn new things or just learn from a different perspective. I just want to grow as a person. I go there quite a lot like every two weeks or so because there is a train from London to Paris that takes only two and a half hours. I can hang out with my friends for dinner and it’s like two different worlds.
Do your surroundings influence your work and do you purposely travel to draw inspiration from them?
Yeah, definitely. I’m 100% that person. I don’t have much inspiration if I’m in the same place all the time. I feel every travel, meeting new people, talking to them and different perspectives inspire me to work and do something different. I could just sit in this flat and keep painting for the rest of my life but I wouldn’t evolve and if I won’t evolve then my paintings won’t progress either.
In reference to the settings and interiors found in your paintings are these drawn from actual locations and places?
Yeah, some of the interiors that I’ve painted, like the recent one. That’s an actual venue that used to be a casino in Germany. It was one of the private rooms. I saw it and I was just like, “this is so sick.” What crazy things could happen in this room? It’s rad. I love this. I need to paint it. But at the same time, I’m not trying to recreate them one to one. When I started painting the red room, I changed everything to be what’s in my imagination.
Aside from painting what do you enjoy doing?
Eating. I love eating so much. I feel like there’s something about sitting in a restaurant with my friends and eating and all culture with the food and a waiter with the energy and people being in a restaurant. Food and eating and being social. I love dancing as well and traveling a lot. These are not original things but if you do them with the right people they turn into special.
What books or movies would you suggest to watch?
I’m reading this book The Theory of Avant-Garde as I told you. It’s quite a pretty book as well. I want to learn more about the art movement. I was also recently reading a book about jazz because I love jazz music. And I wanted to know more about the roots of it because everybody is doing jazz now, but what we know about it is really nothing. But I really like Henry Miller’s books. All of them.
For movies, I really like Ari Aster’s movies, so it’s Midsommar and Hereditary. That is my favorite movie. I don’t know when this movie will stop being my favorite movie. I love Tom Ford’s movies as well because they are super dark. They also all dress like Tom Ford so they are still super sophisticated and great. I’m more into movies and maybe that’s fine because I’m a visual person. But I love books because then my imagination is creating all these things. It goes both ways. Definitely, Stanley Kubrick’sThe Clockwork Orange. The creative process and in the way it’s shot. There’s no better one. But I don’t take responsibility for any side effects, watching or reading stuff that I recommend.
How did the EP To Feel Alive Cover with Kali Uchis come about?
Yeah, that was really cool and funny. She knew exactly what she wanted so that made my life easier. Because as an artist, you can go two ways with me. You can tell me exactly what you want to do and then I just do it or you don’t tell me anything.
I was super excited to work with her because I listened to her music for such a long time before that, and she meant so much to me — listen to her music and all the songs with Tyler as well. She’s a massive inspiration and a big part of my life.
They [the public] always thought it’s one woman giving pleasure to another woman but what Kali really wanted to achieve was more about her personality giving pleasure to a different side of her self personality. Just with different wigs. I think it’s really great that it has a much deeper meaning than it would seem.
“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
What projects are you currently working on? As you mentioned before about Art Paris 2022.
Yes, so I’m working towards that for the sixth of April. It seems like I have lots of time before that but for me, it’s not because every painting is a separate idea and it takes time to develop it and I really want it to be great. I also have other ideas to work on that are not paintings anymore. I feel that there’s so much movement in my paintings.
What advice would you give to aspiring artists?
Okay, I’m the last person that you should ever ask for any advice from because I always go for anything. I never ask any questions. It’s like yes let’s go. And my friends are like “Wait, wait, wait, let’s think if it’s a good idea.” I wouldn’t give any art advice, but I would give one that works for anyone and anything.
It’s a quote and it says “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”
Whatever I do, that’s what I think about.
All photos by Eric Brain.
