Marian Cramer Projects is thrilled to present Derek Aylward’s (@totallybloated) first solo exhibition in Amsterdam. After spending half a year working exclusively with ceramics, Aylward found a renewed energy and sense of exploration in painting—embracing the process without a fixed outcome. His latest works reflect a dynamic shift, balancing familiar motifs with a fresh openness that captures the joy of creation as a way of making sense of our chaotic world. In Aylward’s words, “things are shit, so why not push, find, or understand something through painting?”

Derek Aylward is a figurative painter known for his raw, vibrantly colored, and expressively rough artworks, evoking a blend of graffiti and folk art. His work juxtaposes tension with humor, capturing the absurdity of modern life. Aylward frequently repeats motifs—usually figures or faces—through subtle shifts in line or color to explore the limitations of both his medium and technique. He often draws from memory or imagination, embracing a fast, instinctual approach, which shines through in his works revealing his spontaneous mark-making, unfiltered creative impulses, inviting viewers into his imaginative world.