Green
Art Gallery announces the first solo exhibition of Hungarian painter
Zsolt Bodoni in the region. Bodoni’s practice is characterized by large
complex canvases, usually depicting industrialist and viscerally
atmospheric backgrounds in which his characters innocently exist.
Through an investigation and analysis of historical processes, Bodoni
draws from archives of literature, art history and music, his practice
functioning in an archaeological manner, peeling back layers and tracing
collective histories and beliefs down to their roots.
A
recurring motif in his work is bringing to the forefront established
systems of power, which is often symbolized through figures of animals
depicted as machines and tools of war, used by the race of man in his
unbending quest for power. In the case of this new series the concept of
systemic education is explored in depth. Tracing the root of the word
‘education’ in Latin, which is ‘duco’, the artist ironically observes
the associated connotations of the word, “to lead or mislead, to shape,
to influence”. His characters, appearing youthful and innocent,
participate with enthusiasm in scenes depicting physical education, an
image associated with post-WWII notions of praising youth for physical
strength through conformity. Bodoni’s characters are also often brought
to life through the female form, a subject which perhaps depicts most
noticeably the transient stages of body representation through the art
historical spectrum. From the art of Ancient Greece, to Neoclassicism
and social realism, the female body has been used as an archetype
reflective of its times. In this series of works, the artist draws on
images of women taken from the Third Reich propaganda movement in which
the female form morphed from the idealism of Ancient Greece to being
physically robust and completely dedicated to motherhood, reflective of
the role women were required to play within society of the time.
Invisible
power games that come to pass early on in our childhood, are also a
source of fascination for the artist. Holding hands, his characters
often act out children's games such as “King give us soldiers”,
inevitably participating in their first act of war. For the artist,
systems of education have undertones which can lead towards the
diminishing or even loss of individual personalities and identities,
much like what is expected of soldiers completing their training. The
consequences of such practices are presented in his work as a crowd of
strange, faceless people, who involuntarily become grouped under a
strong militant control. This mass is dehumanized to a point where it
becomes wild and brutal yet strangely resigned; as if this kind of
existence is a natural and logical way to be.
In
this new series of works, the ‘landscape’ itself has moved from the
background to become figurative, as recurring images taken from
postcards and photographs of post-WWI-WWII Eastern Europe exist as
artificial independent elements within the canvas. By re-casting history
and bringing it into the present, Bodoni thrusts his viewers into an
uncomfortable awareness of their own indifferent naivete.
Born
in Élesd, Romania in 1975, Zsolt Bodoni received his MFA from the
Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts in Budapest, Hungary. Solo shows include
“Remastered” at Brand New Gallery, Milan, IT, “Gods and Mortals” at
Mihai Nicodim Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, “Foundries of Ideologies” at Ana
Cristea Gallery, New York, NY, and “Monuments” at FA Projects, London,
UK. He has shown shown in several important group shows including the
Prague Biennale, Prague, CZ (2009, 2011), Leipzig Walkabout, Leipzig, DE
(2011), Knoxville Museum of Art, Knoxville, TN (2010), Calvert 22,
London, UK (2009), Plan B, Cluj, RO (2008). His work has been featured
and reviewed in Art in America, Flash Art and The New York Times. In
2009 he was selected for the “Top 100 Emerging Artists” by Flash Art
International. He lives and works in Budapest, Hungary.
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