Róbert Batykó, in spite of his young age, has been granted the Strabag Award, the Leopold Bloom Art Award, and has also been nominated for the AVIVA Award, in recognition for this artwork.

The distinctive character of his painting has been apparent from the beginning. He is known for a style that builds on unusual spectacles from the world of objects and remains strict in terms of its composition and sharp outlines, but, nevertheless, with its variedly textured surfaces – occasionally diversified by gestures – remains painterly.

At the exhibition entitled TRSH Batykó presents his paintings from the past year. His themes – as also suggested by the title – primarily consist of disposed of, no longer used, abandoned objects, which are now considered trash. These fossils of our everyday reality are recreated in the spirit of the nonfigurative traditions, prompting viewers toward experiencing the very act of perception, rather than merely being narrative receivers of what is seen. Thus, Batykó is interested not only in the object of his painting, but also in the tangible, active presence of the image – the act of recreation. It is in this way that these almost photographically concrete paintings with their abstract surface formulation become cosmic, that these “found spectacles” are refined into cultural metaphors. In beholding a bra thrown on the ground – as if belonging to a twisted up female body – or the paper cutout-like October leaves piled up in a collage-like manner, we are witness to a unique kind of recycling. The spot of spilled coffee is depicted in the process of its amoeba-like expansion, turning the inanimate into the living. The structure made of cast-away cigarette butts too seems to have a greater claim to existence than the sidewalk.

Róbert Batykó’s painting is simultaneously rooted in pop art, street art, graffiti, photorealism and styles operating with montage (such as Dadaism), among others. While one could think of the artist as a prodigy of Kurt Schwitters and Gerhard Richter, Batykó’s art distinguishes itself in that it seems to build on his predecessor’s legacy, just as his portrayed objects take on a new life that is quite independent of their previous existence.