Lars Tunebo

The show stopping mixed media photo-montages of Lars Tunebo offer both a playful alternative take on the art of wildlife and a gentle but heartfelt comment on contemporary society.

Lars creates distinctive stories of the urban wild, placing brightly coloured wild animals against iconic landmarks around the world in a whole range of unexpected and often amusing situations. While these images make us smile they also make a statement, as he uses a variety of media to highlight the sheer life force of these amazing and exotic creatures in contrast to the beautiful but lifeless cityscapes that make up their backdrop. This unique combination of imagination, wit and social commentary makes each piece stand out as both a joyous and surprising work of art, and an intriguing conversation piece.

Lars composes each picture from multiple layers of photographs which he has taken himself or acquired over many years of research and collecting. Originally he creates the entire piece in black and white, then he applies colour to the main subject, to the sky, and sometimes to other selected features in order to highlight some element of the story - the blue of a Ventian canal for instance, or the bright yellow of a classic New York cab. The animals which are at the heart of each piece are painted in bold and vibrant hues making them stand out even more against the colourless urban backdrops, further emphasisting the contrast between the living creatures and the inanimate structures. Finally, he hand finishes each piece with clear transparent colours and individual effects and this is refelected in the limited editions with a beautiful pearlescent finish.

Born in 1962 in Lysekil, Sweden, Lars now lives and works in Gothenburg. He is a self-taught artist working with techniques and materials including bronze, glass, painting and photography/mixed media. His works can be found in some prestigious private collections and have made an impact in exhibitions across Europe, the Middle East and the USA for over 25 years.