Oscar Murillo’s (b. 1986) surge works are composed of layers of oil-stick marks, built up on the canvas to create a thick impasto of paint, often obscuring content and information beneath. Referencing water’s ability to flow indiscriminately without regard to maps or borders, these paintings speak to one of the artist’s central concerns: cultural exchange. Murillo’s surge works debuted at Kettle’s Yard in 2019, a presentation that led to the artist’s nomination and eventual win for last year’s Turner Prize, which he shared with the other short-listed artists.