COMPUTER PAINTINGS (1990S)

In 1992, Oehlen began making computer-designed paintings, known for their pixilation and low resolution. Despite their limitations, the technical potential of computers created a series of rules and patterns with which the artist could improvise. Basic digital drawing programs provide for a new method of abstraction. Oehlen focused his interest on patterns created by movements made by the hand with the computer mouse, to continue showing the expressive and personal gesture.

Demonstrating his irony and spontaneity, the artist defines these paintings as "bionic," although in reality their appearance is more primitive than futuristic. Using slang from the digital world, these images suffer from a “data overload.” The exclusive use of black in these works might be interpreted as one of the challenges the artist poses for himself.

These drawings arose as a series of motifs made with a laptop that were later enlarged and printed on a canvas. They were created with a blend of different techniques, such as computer printing, silk-screen printing, and brush painting. Although this fusion of different techniques is common today, Oehlen was a true pioneer in the 90s when he adapted the complex technological resources existing at the time to create this technique, taken over by painters of the digital age.