Photosynthesis: Dubai

13 February - 9 March 2026

JD Malat Gallery Dubai is pleased to present Photosynthesis, a new body of work by the Spanish artist Luis Olaso, marking a pivotal moment in his practice. Created entirely in his new studio in Cádiz, southern Spain, this series reflects a geographical and emotional shift where environment, sensation, and inner life converge on the canvas.
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Luis Olaso, Composition for a couple of flowers, 2025

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Luis Olaso, Composition for a bouquet of sunflowers 2, 2025, Oil, acrylic, oil bar, and oil pastel on canvas, 150 x 150 cm

NATURE AS CATALYST

Developed in his new studio in Cádiz, Photosynthesis reflects a shift in Luis Olaso’s practice shaped by place and atmosphere. Surrounded by olive, almond, and orange trees, the studio opens onto the landscape, allowing natural elements to permeate the working space. Light, colour, scent, and sound become part of the painting, subtly influencing how each work takes form.
Luis Olaso, Study for a jug with sunflowers 2, 2025, Oil, acrylic, oil bar, and oil pastel on canvas, 72 x 57 cm

GESTURE AS LANGUAGE

Olaso does not seek to depict the surrounding environment, but to internalise it. The paintings emerge through a balance of instinct and reflection, where gestures and shifting forms suggest traces of natural life without settling into representation. Each canvas operates as a quiet self-portrait, shaped by emotional states and moments of introspection rather than narrative or imagery.
Luis Olaso, Composition for a table with a bottle and flowers, 2025, Oil, acrylic, oil bar, and oil pastel on canvas , 150 x 150 cm

PAINTING AS CONTEMPLATION

In Photosynthesis, freedom and restraint exist side by side. Influenced by gestural traditions while remaining deeply personal, the works invite a slower, more attentive mode of looking. Colour, movement, and surface create spaces of pause, where inner experience and external environment converge, offering a contemplative encounter with painting as a lived and felt process.
Luis Olaso (b. 1986, Spain)

Luis Olaso is a Spanish contemporary artist whose paintings explore emotion, memory, and the inner self. His work merges abstraction with traces of organic and human forms, creating expressive, psychologically resonant compositions. Through improvisational brushwork and reflective observation, each painting functions as a subtle self-portrait of the artist’s inner life.

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