Born in 1991 in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, Christian Quin Newell currently lives and works in London, UK. His body of work unfolds like a diary of the inner cosmos, where dreams, meditative states, and personal interpretations of Buddhist philosophy, mysticism, and cosmology coalesce into protagonists who embark on metaphysical journeys of self-discovery.
Having grown up between northern Italy and southeast London, Newell developed a heightened sensitivity to the latent energies of everyday life and a deep introspection shaped by the stark contrast between these two cultural environments. Between 2008 and 2009, Newell became deeply captivated by the works of Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí. This encounter ignited his lasting fascination with Surrealism, especially its profound engagement with dreams and the unconscious—a conceptual framework that has persistently underpinned his approach to creation. By 2013, Newell began transcribing his dreams through writing and drawing, eventually delving into lucid dreaming as a method of entering hyperbolic space where he could engage in a direct dialogue with his subconscious.
In Newell’s dark yet tranquil compositions, light becomes an expression of the inner force within his figures. To create the effect of internal light sources within his paintings, he subverts the glossiness typical of the traditional oil painting, innovatively blending marble dust, linseed oil, and driers to produce a velvety, matte surface texture reminiscent of ancient frescoes. This texture absorbs external reflected light, thus enhancing the work’s mystical aura and psychological intensity.
Newell’s protagonists, appearing as samurais, swordsmen, or warriors, inhabit mysterious and ambiguous atmospheres, as if suspended within a theatrical mise-en-scène. These archetypes draw on a rich tapestry of cultural references: Japanese traditions and manga, Indian Buddhist iconography, miniature painting, and the visual language of video games—all interwoven with the artist’s own self-projections.
Small-scale paintings have become a defining format in Newell’s oeuvre. Deeply inspired by Indian miniature painting, he treats paper, canvas, and varying formats as equally potent vessels of expression, allowing them to complement one another. Across these works, multiple perspectives and focal points generate a dense and richly layered experience, both visually and emotionally.
Since 2021, Newell has presented numerous solo exhibitions at public galleries, Various Small Fires (VSF), and the WT Foundation, actively contributing to the global contemporary art scene. His work has featured in group exhibitions at Nova Contemporary in Thailand, Palazzo Monti in Italy, Marlborough Gallery in the UK, and the New York Studio School. He has participated in artist residencies in Kyiv, London, and Brescia, and his works are included in the collections of X Museum in Beijing and the Recharge Foundation.