A celebration of emerging global contemporary artists: Dreaming in Colour at the Opera Gallery, London

Dreaming in Colour installation view, c. Eva Herzog

Raphael Roy Taylor

Ahead of the exhibition, which runs until the 6th April at the gallery on New Bond Street, I sat down with PR Director Katherine McMahon to explore the rich diversity of artworks appearing in the show. As part of this exhibition, Opera makes it part of their mission to “give emerging artists the platform and space to share personal narratives of their work”.

‘Dreaming In Colour’ brings together six artists Opera Gallery represents and almost 20 emerging contemporary artists, offering a unique insight into the use of colour in diverse, experimental, and fascinating ways.

Each artist, Katherine explains, uses colour “as part of their visual language to shape tone and guide their respective narratives. Throughout these works, colour functions not only as aesthetic choices but also as a tool for conveying emotion and establishing atmosphere, as well as exploring the meaning of dreams.”  

Laid out across two floors of the gallery, the show utilises the light-filled spaces to enable each work to have the scope to be appreciated.

Eshu by Gustavo Nazareno, c. Opera Gallery

The exhibition begins with Eshu by Gustavo Nazareno, which deftly recalls the traditions of Renaissance painting. He describes the red cloak as ‘embodying Eshu”, a god of trickery in the Yoruba religion of West Africa, yet his figure is one of peace, complete calm, reflecting Nazareno’s feelings whilst painting.

Using two dominant colours reflects the conflict within the god, who acts as a conduit between humans and the good and evil spirits that govern our actions.

Works by Oh de Laval c. Opera Gallery

Two paintings by Oh de Laval reflect the importance of spontaneity and romance, the larger of which uses opposing fabrics to conjure romance, which is symbolised in the incarnation of the rose that is magnified in the smaller work.

It’s an impactful motif that parallels the intentions of the figures Colour is crucial for de Laval, whose works are usually limited to three to concentrate focus on her intensely figurative subjects.

Work by Niovi Kafantari, c. Opera Galery

Niovi Kafantari’s work reimagines painting through the lens of sculpture. Inspired by old masters (the work to the left took influence from Titian), she paints as if sketching, omitting background to create a powerful sense of dimensionality in the foreground. This particular work’s use of dramatic, saturated colour is punchy, and forces focus on the relationship between the central figures.

Misty Days, Borjo Colom, c. Opera Gallery

The diversity of the use of colour is emblematic throughout the show- best exemplified in Borjo Colom’s Misty Days, which is rendered in shades of a single hue. Drawing from Colom’s practice as an architect, structural form is distilled into bare essentials.

Describing colour as creating a “psychological climate that conditions how the space is experienced”, and in this work, the absence of a context for the structure sees it in a state of transition. It’s a fantastic reimagining of the architectural drawing as a conjurer of emotion.

‘Dreaming in Colour’ is a celebration of the very best of emerging contemporary art, presented through the lens of a crucial element of the artistic practice. It’s a hugely inspirational show and demonstrates the extent of the variety we can experience today.

See it at the Opera Gallery, 65-66 New Bond Street until the 6th April!