Private landscape

Figurative group exhibition

Figurative art today occupies a radically different position compared to its dominance in the pre-19th and early 20th centuries, when it held a near-monopoly within the European cultural sphere. Perhaps modernism, with its stylizing and subsequently abstracting perspectives, along with the dematerialization of art, liberated figurative art and provided it with a new sense of mission. This transformation mirrors the existentialist notion of freedom arising from absurdity, where the lack of inherent meaning offers the individual freedom to define their purpose.

Within figurative art, the most straightforward examples include depictions of the human form, elements of fauna and flora, or anthropomorphic representations of otherness. It might also encompass representations that condense living and non-living recognizable elements into so-called "landscapes," whether distant and natural or proximate and material. However, figurativeness is not a binary concept. It often allows for partial abstraction, ambiguous representation, and conscious or unconscious compositional omissions and highlights that shape its expression.

The term "figurative," rooted in Latin, embodies an inherent ambivalence: it simultaneously refers to the real and the representational, as well as the metaphorical and the symbolic.

Looking back at major historical eras, the evolution of the relationship between the individual and society appears relatively clear, with either gaining prominence in turn. One paradigm shift is associated with the Renaissance, during which societal and economic transformations gradually brought the individual to the forefront, replacing the roles dictated by feudal and ecclesiastical systems. The dominant notion of the "viator mundi" (pilgrim of the world) was supplanted by the ideal of the "faber mundi" (creator of the world). Much later—on the utopian periphery of capitalism—socialist ideologies emphasized the necessity of subordinating individual interests to the common good. Today, the compromises required for coexistence between the individual and community, the private and public spheres, and humanity and nature have become fundamental dilemmas.

The works of Andrea Katalin GULYÁS illustrate the dysfunction of overly regimented systems and the mass phenomenon of individual liberation from them. Her art delicately translates elements of natural labyrinths into private spaces. Katerina BELKINA, a Russian-born artist based in Germany, explores the longing for escape from the gray, melancholic industrial and residential landscapes typical of Eastern Europe, while also addressing the gesture of sharing one’s private life publicly through her digitally repainted images. Szabolcs SZOLNOKI captures various forms of escape, evident in his contemplative, static interiors, action-oriented scenes set in natural environments, and the intersection of the two, such as in a paradoxically outdoor yet inward-looking underpass perspective.

Márta CZENE conveys the vulnerability of the individual to their immediate environment through episodic yet narratively coherent compositions. In his homage to John Baldessari (1931–2020), Domonkos BENYOVSZKY-SZŰCS juxtaposes portraits of individuals who committed suicide with an objective yet emotionally resonant dimension. These figures often become familiar through situations perceived as private but made public. Patrick Nicholas TAYLER creates close-up, object-centered still lifes devoid of human presence, revealing a deceptively comfortable, private environment that is almost saccharine and entrapping.

The artworks presented in this exhibition explore the relationships between the individual and the community, the private and the public sphere, and humanity and the landscape. Employing diverse tools and approaches within figurative art, they reveal the dichotomous yet interdependent duality of these elements.

Exhibiting Artists: Katerina BELKINA, Domonkos BENYOVSZKY-SZŰCS, Márta CZENE (INDA Gallery), Andrea Katalin GULYÁS, Szabolcs SZOLNOKI, Patrick Nicholas TAYLER.