Mythology and Philosophy: Unraveling Lanny Merge's Artistic Narratives

About the artist:

Lanny Merge's paintings exude an innocence reminiscent of primitivism and naive art. In his work, the human, the divine and the animal intertwine, questioning our relationship to the world between materialistic figures and spiritual symbols.

The artist had the good fortune to be born just a stone's throw from "La Collection de l'art brut" in Lausanne, Switzerland, at the very moment the museum was founded.

From an early age, Lanny Merge visited the museum as one would a ghost train, with a mixture of excitement and apprehension at the collection of monsters of all kinds.

A regular visitor to the institution, he developed a genuine fascination for outsider art painting and "non-standard" artistic creation.

The artist's personal, protean mythology is a blend of pop culture, Hollywood cinema, philosophy and cave art, reminiscent of the stories told in ex-voto paintings offered in gratitude to saints whose prayers have been answered. 

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Images and text courtesy the artist

Images on view below:

Caption 1: "La visite de l'ange" | Acrylic, screen printing ink, liquid corrector & oil stick On Canvas | 100cm × 80cm

Caption 2: "Smoke" | Acrylic & oil stick On Canvas | 100cm × 80cm