Oscar Murillo
Oscar Murillo is a Colombian-born artist working within contemporary art, recognised for a multidisciplinary practice that spans painting, installation, drawing and participatory projects. His work often addresses themes of labour, migration, education, globalisation and the body in transit, combining abstraction with material traces drawn from everyday life. Murillo’s artworks frequently incorporate found fabrics, markings, text and bodily gesture, resulting in surfaces shaped by movement, accumulation and use.
Rather than separating studio practice from social context, Murillo’s approach allows these elements to intersect. His paintings and installations often bear signs of physical engagement, wear and collective activity, positioning process and environment as integral to the work itself. This emphasis on material presence and social experience situates Murillo within broader conversations around contemporary abstraction, transnational identity and global exchange.
Oscar Murillo biography and artistic context
Oscar Murillo was born in 1986 in La Paila, Colombia, and moved to the United Kingdom at a young age. He studied at the University of Westminster and later completed his MFA at the Royal College of Art in London. Experiences of migration, cultural displacement and education have played a formative role in shaping his artistic outlook.
Emerging in the early 2010s, Murillo gained attention for large-scale paintings and installations that combine abstraction with material and social reference. His early visibility coincided with a renewed interest in process-driven painting that engages directly with questions of labour, movement and global circulation. In 2019, Murillo co-won the Turner Prize, marking a significant moment in the institutional recognition of his practice.
Alongside his studio work, Murillo has developed long-term participatory and research-based projects, most notably Frequencies, which involves schoolchildren across multiple countries contributing drawings to a growing archive. This broader engagement reflects his interest in collective experience, learning environments and shared authorship. Murillo has exhibited internationally at major institutions and biennials, including the Venice Biennale, and his work is represented in both public and private collections.
Notable artworks and series by Oscar Murillo
Abstract paintings - Large-scale works incorporating canvas, fabric and markings, often bearing traces of physical movement, labour and use.
Works on fabric and canvas - Paintings featuring stitched canvases, draped black fabrics and layered surfaces that foreground material wear, accumulation and process.
Installation and sculptural works - Projects combining painting with objects and sculptural forms, including works made with clay and corn, creating environments shaped by bodily presence and social context.
Frequencies (2013–present) - A long-term participatory project involving drawings made by schoolchildren worldwide, addressing education, community, collective authorship and global connection.
Manifestation and News series - Bodies of work that combine expressive mark-making with social and political reference, engaging themes of labour, inequality and global circulation.
Collector Interest & Market Relevance
Oscar Murillo is a Colombian-born artist working within contemporary art, recognised for a multidisciplinary practice that spans painting, installation, drawing and participatory projects. His work often addresses themes of labour, migration, education, globalisation and the body in transit, combining abstraction with material traces drawn from everyday life. Murillo’s artworks frequently incorporate found fabrics, markings, text and bodily gesture, resulting in surfaces shaped by movement, accumulation and use.
Rather than separating studio practice from social context, Murillo’s approach allows these elements to intersect. His paintings and installations often bear signs of physical engagement, wear and collective activity, positioning process and environment as integral to the work itself. This emphasis on material presence and social experience situates Murillo within broader conversations around contemporary abstraction, transnational identity and global exchange.
Gallery
