Karl Zurfluh is a contemporary painter and muralist based in Charleston, South Carolina. Originally from Tacoma, Washington, his artistic practice is influenced by a diverse range of visual cultures, including skateboarding, punk music, hip-hop, illustration, graphic design, and street art. Zurfluh studied illustration at Ringling College of Art and Design and later earned a master's degree in computer animation from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Working across painting, murals, and mixed-media works, Zurfluh creates vibrant, layered compositions that blend fine art with contemporary urban aesthetics. His recent work explores themes of memory, loss, healing, and personal transformation, drawing from his own life experiences while inviting broader reflections on resilience and human connection. Based in Charleston since 2014, Zurfluh's work has been exhibited throughout the Southeast and featured in public art projects and museum exhibitions, including at the Gibbes Museum of Art.
Statement:
I am a Charleston-based artist whose practice includes representational painting & mural-making. One of my chief concerns is human grief and how, like the drifting pilots depicted in many of my works, it can leave us feeling emotionally disoriented and suspended in reality. The image of the aviator shell is a reoccurring symbol, depicting humanity. Our consciousness navigates our bodies through this experience thus making us all pilots. This symbol is also deeply personal to me, representing my Navy pilot Father who was KIA when I was 11 months old.
These paintings are created with charcoal, acrylic, latex and aerosol paint. I use these materials to build up layers, resulting in an atmosphere that feels thick and tangible. Through this deliberate process, I can push and pull the material values to make the figures recede while letting some of the details come forward. The use of powerful light boldly contrasts the figures from the depths of their surroundings, celebrating the possibilities of breaking old cycles while creating new, positive paths. Interwoven into these scenes are paper airplanes that nod to childhood innocence and playful dreams. Standing in stark contrast to the tactical flight equipment shown in these images, these paper airplanes are at once naïve and imaginative.
Through this art I hope to encourage our society to engage with grief in positive ways. It is a human experience and part of a thread that connects us all.
