When I speak to Chase Hall, he is at Galerie Eva Presenhuber, finishing up the install for his new show. He’s wearing a burnt-orange sweater and meandering around the gallery to find a calm place for us to chat. The 31-year-old artist has been heralded one of the best new voices in painting due to his unique, provocative, and layered portrayal of Blackness, masculinity, and personal history. Although the word ‘layered’ is often overused in describing paintings, it rings true to Hall’s work, with its signature build up of expressive tones over coffee-dyed canvases.Hall is on the go in Vienna, where his latest show is being mounted, with, in his own words, ‘no laptop and a baby’. Our pleasantries are interrupted by the first glimpse of his paintings. Burnt topaz, deep browns, and blurry splashes of white dominate, along with striking moments of bright colour—in one large painting, a figure is adorned with an azure quasi-pareo. I am immediately drawn to the arresting characters who dominate Hall’s espresso-coloured canvases.Chase Hall. Photo: Jack Platner.Exhibition view: Chase Hall, Momma’s Baby, Daddy’s Maybe, Galerie Eva Presenhuber, Vienna (23 May–19 July 2025). © Chase Hall. Courtesy the artist and Galerie Eva Presenhuber. Photo: Jorit Aust. RJT: Can you tell me a little more about the figures within the paintings?CH: For me, a lot of these start with archetypal representations of a self seen through different narratives, landscapes, and types of people. Oftentimes, I’m thinking of family members or friends, brotherhood, and this idea of being and becoming. The exhibition’s title, Momma’s Baby, Daddy’s Maybe, references growing up as an only child with a single mom.RJT: There are two elements that strike me as affirming or expressing identity in these works. The first is your depiction of the group, or brotherhood; the second is the clothes. Thinking first about brotherhood, is the idea of finding identity through companionship prominent in the work?CH: Yes, I thi