16 Sept. 2019
I am delighted to be showing new works at Expo Chicago with Sapar Contemporary between 19th and 22nd September, 2019 at Chicago's Navy Pier!
My new paintings take Frank Lloyd Wright’s domestic architecture as their subject: they depict interiors of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio and Robie House, both in Chicago. It was during a recent stay in Chicago that I learned in depth about Frank Lloyd Wright’s domestic architecture. Wright’s signature Prairie style immediately resonated with me: his straight line aesthetic, as well as his belief in the decorative value of the flat surface are elements that I have explored in my own paintings. My visual style has been influenced by my upbringing in the Great Plain of Hungary, while Wright has claimed that the broad, flat landscape of the American Midwest inspired the dramatic horizontal lines of his Prairie buildings. These are the connections that drive my engagement with Wright’s interiors.
My assemblage-paintings are painted wooden blocks, which, when assembled, form representations of interiors. The blocks may be handled and rearranged by the viewer. This potentially interactive viewer experience is informed by Froebel’s kindergarten gifts, an early childhood education tool, of which I learned through Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. I encountered Froebel blocks for the first time at the Wright Home & Studio, where they were on display. Wright claimed that his childhood exposure to Froebel blocks deeply influenced his approach to architecture, especially regarding geometric patterns and ornamentation. My assemblage-paintings attempt to de- and reconstruct my own compositions, potentially discovering new arrangements, patterns and meanings.