B. István Gellér: Embracing Forms
Date: 07.06.2019-26.07.2019.
Opening show: 06.06.2019. 7-8.45pm
The first solo exhibition of B. István Gellér (1946 - 2018) to be organised at the acb Gallery introduces his tempera paintings from the seventies. Born in Pécs, the artist developed a geometric painting style of personal tone based on contemporary international tendencies and the progressive artistic traditions of his hometown, a programme that stands out with its uniqueness among Hungarian neo-avant-garde tendencies. Featuring softer lines, yet composed with rigorous symmetry, his emblematic structures from the 1970s, also characteristic of his acrylic and tempera paintings, are distinctive Hungarian instances of signal painting, a tendency close to pop art.
In addition to the master-pupil relation to Ferenc Martyn and Lantos’s abstract motif-set, B. Gellér’s journey to Western Europe at the end of the sixties also made a deep impression on him: during his sojourn in London, he saw the works of Bridget Riley, Frank Stella and Victor Vasarely. Fusing his fresh international experiences with the artistic traditions of Pécs, he developed his organic, symbolic geometric formal language, with which he intended to engender an internationally relevant local artistic language of personal tone.
Szarka Péter: RGB Hypothesis
Date: 07.06.2019-26.07.2019.
Opening show: 06.06.2019. 7-8.45pm
The exhibition casts new light on the works of Péter Szarka (1964) created in the 2000s using 3D modelling software. Highlighted by his participation at the São Paulo Biennial in 2004 and his solo exhibition at the Kunsthalle, Budapest in 2003, this phase in Szarka’s oeuvre is already concluded, but his works are still as fresh today as two decades ago, when they were conceived. Moreover, the main elements of his artistic programme, namely the impersonality of artistic expression and the use of trash aesthetics have since come to shape the attitude of a younger generation of artists. “The things I am dealing with right now are in a no man’s land.” – Szarka stated in a 2002 interview. By today, the discourse of contemporary art has caught up with the trailblazing works of Szarka, which are still open to new reception and interpretation.
Péter Szalay: The Exception Proves the Rule
Date: 07.06.2019-26.07.2019.
Opening show: 06.06.2019. 7-8.45pm
Péter Szalay (1981) presents his latest exhibition at the space of the acb NA. The choice of venue is related to the site-specific nature of the artist’s new works, as in this case,. Szalay deals with time and its alternative measurement, but the main points of reference of his works, which include kinetic art and op-art, two distinctive tendencies of the 1960s, also play an important role. In recent years, the exhibition programme of the acb NA has focused on the rediscovery and re-contextualisation of Hungarian avant-garde art, and Péter Szalay is the youngest artist exhibiting in this space.