Victoria Miro is delighted to present The Conceptualists, an exhibition of new paintings by Hernan Bas.

Hernan Bas is celebrated for works that, permeated by an aura of eroticism and decadence and loaded with codes and double-meanings, point to the intricacies of self-identity while celebrating moments of transformation – the ordinary becoming extraordinary. While earlier paintings hinge on characters with nascent identities and burgeoning interests, the works in this exhibition follow a new theme, in which Bas’ protagonists engage in a variety of obsessive pursuits that, deemed strange under everyday circumstances, might be rationalised or even championed when considered as ‘conceptual art’.

As ‘Conceptualists’, the characters in the paintings are emboldened to indulge their passions – chewing gum every waking hour of the day, gilding the leaves of dying house plants, mixing paint with water sourced exclusively from Niagara Falls – with vigour and seriousness as they construct their self-made worlds. As viewers we are invited to consider the way meaning shifts with context and how, under the auspices of art, eccentricity gains a particular allure.

Speaking about the works on view, the artist says, ‘What before might have been seen as a rogues’ gallery of “weirdos” is now, under the guise and cover of “art”, a series of portraits of intellectuals. The humour I hope these works convey is intentional… I don’t consider my series of paintings to be a parody, but I have enjoyed the liberty of making portraits of artists who, while taking themselves seriously, might concede they’re being quite “clever”.’

The exhibition is accompanied by a new, limited-edition publication featuring a collaboration between the artist and writer Linda Yablonsky, who has crafted a series of narratives around The Conceptualists and how their works have come to curious fruition.