Murray Clarke: ALL KINDS OF GORGEOUS

Nahmad Projects is proud to present ALL KINDS OF GORGEOUS, the first solo exhibition by London-based artist Murray Clarke (b. 1992) at the gallery. Known for his meticulous exploration of consumerism and material culture, Clarke’s newest works focus on the commodification of clothing and textiles, depicted in hyper-realistic detail. Drawing on the art market’s objectification of artworks, where luxury and the monetisation of culture play a central role, Clarke’s practice critically examines lust, value, and desire as they manifest through material goods.

In ALL KINDS OF GORGEOUS, Clarke shifts his lens onto sartorial details, such as cosy striped pyjamas, leather loafers, and soft knit blankets. Through works like “Red & Blue Diptyque” (2024), Clarke envelops the viewer in the sensual textures of everyday garments, presenting them as objects of longing. His photorealistic canvases zoom in on these materials, rendering them in magnified focus to heighten their allure. Yet, the figures who wear them remain elusive, with only subtle gestures—like a hand adjusting a sleeve—hinting at their presence. By omitting full figures, Clarke invites the viewer to project their own desires onto these items, subtly critiquing the way we invest meaning into fashion. The tension between the soft textures of sweaters and the stiff creases of Oxford shirts conjures optical fields that merge into abstract, sublime representations of urban life and its magnetic allure.

This balance between abstraction and representation reaches its peak in “Lazy Days” (2024), in which the canvas, dominated by vivid pinks and blurred stripes, evokes an optical illusion, fusing fashion imagery with abstraction and creating a scene reminiscent of a cropped fashion magazine cut-out.

A key theme of the exhibition is Clarke’s playful appropriation of stock imagery from fashion brands’ marketing campaigns. His works reflect a tension between the comforting familiarity of fabrics and the underlying superficiality of consumer culture. This duality invites the viewer to engage with the luxurious, detailed imagery, while also critically examining their emotional connection to such items.

Clarke’s practice aligns him with a wider group of artists exploring the intersection of fashion, art, value, and the market. He is captivated by how art and fashion converge, questioning their roles in shaping identity and desire within a capitalist framework. His bold photorealist style, combined with a playful, tongue-in-cheek humour, offers a decidedly contemporary take on the painterly reproduction of advertisements. Clarke’s work draws upon Minimalism, Conceptualism, Portraiture, Still Life, and Optical Art, but pushes these traditions forward through innovative approaches to materiality, technique, and content. By blending these influences, he challenges the boundaries of painting, infusing his works with formal rigour and historical references, all while finding humour in the subjects he chooses.

“The painting of the blanket will bring you no warmth, no functional use, and yet, by owning the painting of it rather than the actual item, it becomes its most luxurious formof form” –– Murray Clarke