Salman Toor: Another Green World

Salman Toor, a painter celebrated for his evocative portrayals of queer South Asian men in urban settings, is currently featured in his first major European exhibition at London’s Courtauld Gallery. His work intertwines historical painting techniques with intimate depictions of contemporary life, offering a fresh visual narrative that challenges traditional art historical canons.

Born and raised in Lahore, Pakistan, Toor’s artistic trajectory spans continents and cultures. After completing his BFA at Ohio Wesleyan University in 2006 and an MFA at Pratt Institute in 2009, Toor gradually gained recognition in the American art scene. His breakthrough arrived in 2020 with a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art, titled How Will I Know, which propelled him into international prominence. Subsequent exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the Venice Biennale have cemented his status as a leading figure in contemporary painting.

The Courtauld Gallery, renowned for its holdings of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces, offers a fitting venue for Toor’s exhibition, Salman Toor: Someone Like You. Among its treasures is Édouard Manet’s iconic A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, a work that directly inspired Toor’s The Bar on East 13th. By substituting Manet’s weary barmaid with a queer South Asian man rendered in rich textures and vibrant colors, Toor reclaims and recontextualizes historical imagery, inserting marginalized identities into a space traditionally dominated by European subjects.

Toor’s paintings are characterized by their intimate portrayal of everyday moments: men lounging at home, socializing in clubs, or sharing quiet solitude. These scenes are imbued with the grandeur and chromatic richness reminiscent of the Old Masters—drawing on influences ranging from the Dutch and Venetian schools to Baroque and Mughal aesthetics. This sophisticated blend of historical reference and contemporary subject matter serves both as homage and critique.

Central to Toor’s oeuvre is the representation of “sissy boys,” a term he uses affectionately for effeminate queer men who embody an aesthetic and emotional complexity often absent from mainstream queer art. Unlike the hypersexualized figures common in much of queer visual culture, Toor’s subjects exhibit vulnerability, softness, and a nuanced relationship with masculinity. Their presence challenges prevailing stereotypes and broadens the visual discourse surrounding gender and identity.

Toor’s personal history informs his artistic focus. Growing up in a conservative, gendered household in Lahore, he found solace and strength in a close-knit group of friends who shared similar experiences of queerness and cultural negotiation. This camaraderie not only shaped his emotional life but also inspired many of the figures populating his canvases. These relationships underscore themes of community, isolation, and resilience that permeate his work.

Color theory emerges as a significant element in Toor’s paintings. While he has not formally studied it, his intuitive use of color draws from the lavish palettes of Venetian and Mughal painters. Green, a recurring hue in his work, conveys a spectrum of associations—from vitality and luxury to sickness and greed—adding layers of complexity and atmosphere. Recently, Toor has incorporated more yellow and earthy tones, reflecting a shift in his artistic exploration towards tonal values and drawing, the latter being his foundational practice.

Toor’s approach diverges from much contemporary art, favoring traditional mediums and techniques that allow for prolonged engagement and emotional depth. He perceives painting and drawing as integral to his mental well-being, a primary means of processing personal and communal narratives. This dedication to craft and introspection links him to his historical predecessors while asserting a unique, contemporary voice.

The exhibition at the Courtauld is complemented by a display of Toor’s drawings, emphasizing his skill in tonal variation and line work. These pieces, including the institution’s recent acquisition Fag Puddle in Vitrine, offer insight into his creative process and thematic concerns.

Toor’s body of work not only enriches contemporary art with diverse perspectives but also invites reconsideration of artistic traditions through the lens of postcolonial and queer identities. His paintings serve as both celebration and critique, merging histories and futures in vivid, compelling imagery that resonates beyond the canvas.