Roulette, Variable Painting 1966

Oyvind Fahlstrom made this variable painting called Roulette at some point, we aren't quite sure when, or with what, but it's got a lot of stuff going on! It seems like a big collage, like he was moving things around a tabletop and taking a photo. Fahlstrom uses all sorts of images, like bits of bodies and faces, next to a lake or a public speaker on the road. It’s like flipping channels on TV, a stream of consciousness. All this imagery is pasted together, and then painted over. It feels like a raw, urgent process. Nothing’s too precious, and it all kind of tumbles out at once. There’s one part, where the lips and teeth are really clear and oversized, looming over everything else, like the grin of the Cheshire Cat. The whole piece is super busy, chaotic even, but in a way that makes you feel like you’re in the middle of something exciting. It reminds me a little bit of some of Jess Collins' dense, visual collages, full of hidden meanings. Ultimately, the magic is in the mix, and in letting go of needing to understand everything all at once.