Mythology clashes with urban culture in Laust Højgaard’s boxy, distorted paintings

Laust Højgaard’s boxy painted figures are quite like nothing we’ve ever seen before here at It’s Nice That. In his works, characters are twisted into the most unimaginable contortions, riding similarly misshapen horses, bikes and adorned with big bulking chains. Placing the artist's paintings in one distinct style, time period of philosophy is near impossible. This visually discombobulating effect is a purposeful one; his paintings are boxes housing thousands of references. In an attempt to somehow summarise the eclectic context throughout his body of work, the artist says that “mythology seems to meet with pop and urban culture”.

This melting pot of influences and approaches comes from Laust’s illustrious creative career. Having delved into mediums as classical drawing, 3D modelling and even having dabbled in graphic design, Laust enjoys allowing all to inform his paintings. In practice, to create his truly distinctive style, Laust uses multiple layers of paint to both create “palpable depth”, texture and distortion. And, to create the sense of coherence and unity present throughout his portfolio, Laust will often work on multiple paintings at once. Weird, surreal and utterly unique – what’s not to love?