The Tales as Old as Time

The French capital really seems to be warming up for the big art week coming in October, and one exhibition that’s been catching my attention is Ole Goldt’s solo debut at Dans les yeux d’Elsa. Presenting a suite of mostly small- scale oils on linen, the Hamburg-based artist merely sets the tone w his unsettled scenes, visually introducing Tales.

I’ve been following Goldt’s work for some time now, often wondering what keeps drawing me back. And looking at his current body of work, I feel that sense of mystery and intrigue is what makes it so captivating. Whether in larger, more complex, and narrative-rich pieces or these intimate snapshots, the artist is never revealing much, but is suggesting enough, if not plenty. It’s actually in the secondary or peripheral elements such as patterns and fill-ins that Goldt gets to present his painterly expression. The fabric weaves, protagonists’ hair, and architectural elements are the moments where trivial details wrap up the still-unresolved image.

Through a deliberate disruption of traditional narrative and perspective, Goldt constructs borderline dreamy scenes that might hold clues for something larger. At the same time, they could just be a harmonious orchestration of colors, shapes, figures, and surfaces. And really, all of those elements are approached w equal importance, making it harder, but also more exciting for the viewer to navigate their way between them.

But beyond the dimmed, washed-off hues, the thirsty linen weave showing through, and the generally reduced, ambiguous imagery, the curious framing and odd use of perspective remove the visuals from straightforward portrayal. Whether positioned to the side, fading into the background, or rising behind the character, the scenes are barely set, leaving us at that, and suggesting a larger story unraveling beyond what we see. With such quality, they feel like the introduction, the initial layout of what’s to come, a visual equivalent of the ubiquitous “Once upon a time…” —Saša Bogojev