Detail of Walking on the Beach, 2023, Oil on canvas, 45 x 70cm

“Imaging is to become self-sufficient. It is a satisfying tool which can remove all the crimes. Dreams, imagines and imaginaries are reflections of our emotional world.”

For Berlin and London-based artist, Özer Toraman, oil painting is a medium that allows him to explore the limitless nature of human identities and the body. Many of Özer Toraman’s works are concerned with the imaginary and resist neat categorisations. His signature portraits present a reconsideration of gender binaries, where contour lines explore a singularity that falls outside of masculine and feminine labels.