Omar Ludo: Extroflection / The outward shaping of a surface

A work by Omar Ludo changes as light travels across it: from a distance, the canvas may appear to be a calm field of colour. Closer up, rounded forms emerge, and shadows reveal the surface’s physical depth. The painting becomes a presence in the room, inviting the viewer to look from more than one angle.

Born in 1953, Ludo first explored engraved and illuminated canvases before developing the relief works for which he is known. His practice belongs to an Italian tradition of questioning the boundary between painting and space, from Lucio Fontana’s experiments to the shaped canvases of Enrico Castellani and Agostino Bonalumi.

The Italian term estroflessione, often translated as extroflection, describes the outward shaping of a surface. Instead of suggesting depth through painted perspective, the fabric itself rises beyond the picture plane. Its curves catch light and cast real shadows, giving the canvas a sculptural dimension while it remains a painting.

Because the volume belongs to the support, the composition is built into the canvas itself. The raised areas and the spaces around them are composed together; both contribute to the rhythm of the piece.

This relationship between surface and light makes the work responsive to its surroundings. Under soft illumination, the transitions can appear gentle and almost hidden. Light from the side makes each projection more pronounced. As the viewer changes position, new contours come into view.

Ludo gives this technique his own rhythm. His raised forms gather and separate in irregular sequences, without following a rigid grid. Some seem to press forward; others settle into the background. Their contours may evoke dunes, flowing water or the movement of fabric, while remaining open to the viewer’s interpretation.

The compositions feel carefully balanced without appearing symmetrical. Their spacing creates moments of concentration and release, encouraging the eye to travel across the surface before settling on any single point.

Colour strengthens this sense of movement. Ludo often works within a single tonal field, allowing subtle variations in light and shadow to carry the composition. The eye follows the elevations and hollows across the work rather than searching for a depicted scene.

The choice of fabric and finish changes the way each relief is perceived. Estroflessione bianca grande (2022) combines an extroflected canvas with nitro paint on a matte ground, allowing its white forms to be defined by shadow. Estroflessione rossa uses Lycra and acrylic, while Gold Rush (2022) brings a pearlescent nitro finish to a matte base, adding shifting highlights to its surface.

The finishes play distinct roles. A matte coating softens reflections and emphasises the relief’s edges, while a pearlescent surface catches highlights that shift as the viewer moves.

These differences become especially vivid in person. A photograph captures one arrangement of light; the work itself continues to change with the room and the hour. At Oblong Contemporary, Ludo’s canvases invite viewers to pause and discover how colour, form and light can transform a wall into an active part of the artwork.

Explore Omar Ludo’s works at Oblong Contemporary.