Silence in Purgatory: Paintings by Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen

Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen - Efflu

In the figurative paintings of Norway-based artist Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen, atmosphere takes precedence over form. Exploring what he calls the “dark sides of life,” he paints haunting visions of human bodies drifting in the deep, murky waters of “nihilism, existentialism, longing and loneliness.” While there is the appearance of submission—the figures don’t seem fraught with resisting death—there is also an empowering sense of detachment; like embryos in a cosmic purgatory, they seem to have overcome all expectation, allowing themselves to drift freely without fear or pain.

Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen - Elude

Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen - halo

Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen - somber woman

Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen - man underwater

Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen - man underwater nude

Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen - floating

Images © Henrik Aarrestad Uldalen