Oliver Plehn - Embarrassment

Embarrassment, executed with acrylic paint on a 60cm x 50cm canvas in 2006. Signed with a black marker at the bottom right. Comes with a certificate of authenticity, pristine condition. The work is shipped rolled inside a tube.

MIRRORS OF THE BEING: PORTRAITS OF FRAGILITY AND STRENGTH
By Antonio Sánchez. Director and curator of 1819 Art Gallery
The collection at hand is an emotive compendium of works that explore the depth of the human condition through portraits and figures laden with symbolism. These pieces are woven into a visual narrative that unfolds a palette of subtle and often somber colors, evoking introspective and contemplative moods. The technical prowess reveals not only mastery of the medium but also an intense emotional connection between the artist and his subjects, each bearing a silent yet palpable story.
Textures and techniques range from softly diffused to aggressively marked, reflecting the diversity of human emotions and the complexity of our experiences. The strokes, whether firm or tremulous, together with the interplay of light and shadow, build an atmosphere that transcends the visual to touch the viewer’s soul.
The work fluctuates between literal representation and abstraction, allowing the viewer’s mind to fill the gaps, inviting deeper engagement. The intentional use of discordant or unexpected elements, such as a knife piercing the face of a figure, challenges our perceptions and provokes an introspective reflection on what it means to be human in times of emotional and social tumult.
The collection as a whole acts as a mirror of the fragility and strength inherent to the human spirit. Each piece, while unique in its expression, contributes to a broader dialogue about resilience and vulnerability. The choice of subjects, from human figures to representations of animals, each imbued with deep emotivity, amplifies this dialogue, suggesting universality in our emotional experiences.
This body of works, beyond being merely a display of technical skill, is a testament to the power of art to move, connect, and question. The collection not only captures the aesthetic beauty of its subjects but also serves as a catalyst for personal and collective exploration of deep and often contradictory emotions. In doing so, these works invite viewers to confront the unknown within themselves and in the world around them, offering a space for recognition and catharsis.

Artist Biography – Oliver Plehn
The work of German painter and draftsman Oliver Plehn is characterized by expressive depictions of the human and animal body. Faces and bodies form the center of his artistic universe: powerful, sensitive, and rich in psychological depth. From childhood, the images of German Expressionists influenced him, whose emotional immediacy and formal freedom remain a reference in his artistic language to this day.
From a young age, Plehn decided to become an artist and maintain creative independence. In addition to studying painting and drawing at art schools, he also pursued studies in natural sciences, which allowed him professional independence and artistic freedom. In the early 1990s, a scholarship in the field of quantum mechanics brought him to Madrid.
Oliver Plehn lives with his wife and two daughters in the Madrid neighborhood of Carabanchel Alto.
Artistic Statement
My work arises from the impulse to understand human existence in its deepest and most contradictory interior. Throughout my career I have explored portraiture as a means to reveal not only what is visible but also what is hidden: repressed emotions, scars of the soul, gestures of silent resistance. I paint from fragility, from that liminal space where pain and beauty coexist without permission.
I am not interested in capturing perfect faces, but presence, that which speaks of what remains unsaid. I am drawn to silences, looks that carry stories, bodies that vibrate with lived experience. Each work is, for me, an attempt at dialogue with the unknown, that inner territory we often try to escape.
My aim as an artist is to create images that are not only observed but questioned by the viewer. I want them to act as mirrors in which one can find something of oneself, even in unease or discomfort. I work figuratively, yes, but I seek in it an openness to mystery, to doubt, to emotion that cannot be words.
I feel that art has the power to heal, to reveal, and to accompany. In this sense, my practice is also a form of care: for myself, and for all those who approach these images with an open heart.
Exhibitions
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Online presence on Artsy
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Online presence on Flecha.es
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Online presence on 1819 Art Gallery
•“Aqua versus Terra,” September 1–30, 2025, Madrid
•“Madrid Hidden,” June 1 to July 15, 2025, Madrid
•“The Gods of Muay Thai and a Strange One,” December 1, 2022 – January 6, 2023, Madrid
•Exhibition at Yale University School of Art, March 2021
•Solo exhibition at Madrid-Barajas International Airport “Faces of the World,” December 30, 2019 – February 7, 2020
•Solo exhibition “The Passion of the Christ” at Friedenskirche German church, Calle Serrano 6, Madrid
•Exhibition at United Artist Fair 2019 at the Casa de Cantabria, Madrid, February 2019
•Painting exhibition on Calle Serrano, Madrid, December 2018 – February 2019
•Solo painting exhibition in Madrid, Spain, November 2018
•Painting exhibition in Madrid, Spain, Calle Serrano, November 2016 – January 2017