The exhibition at the Molnár Ani Gallery showcases the development of Tamás Konok’s unique compositional method, which he refined during his years of emigration in Paris, through works created between 1969 and 1982. The core of Konok’s image-making system during this period lies in the interplay between strict organization and tactile, sensuous qualities. However, these works, built upon this distinctive paradox, convey not only an existential message – highlighting the contradictions of emigration – but can also be seen as a form of political metaphor. The dismantling of both physical and symbolic boundaries is evident in the artist’s evolving visual language, with his stylistic elements becoming progressively more refined. From the 1970s onwards, Konok’s paintings increasingly reveal physical constraints, such as line systems reminiscent of walls or the impenetrable Iron Curtain of the Cold War. These barrier-like forms, etched into the heart of the composition, either spread out like columns or run across the canvas with a pencil-thin delicacy. They manifest as engravings that offer a concentrated representation of the artist’s journey through the labyrinth of existence in exile.
The cultural rehabilitation, which opposed the hegemony of socialist realism, and the reacceptance of post-1956 dissidents, both contributed to Tamás Konok being able to finally present his works in Hungary, two decades after leaving the country. In 1979, thanks to the initiative of publicist and art collector Imre Patkó, the Hungarian audience first encountered Konok’s abstract pieces – evoking musical associations and reminiscent of optical scores – in the Endre Ady and Béla Bartók portfolios. These works, along with others created in the spirit of “lyrical geometry,” were featured in Konok’s first monographic exhibitions in Hungary. In 1981, the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts hosted the first-ever exhibition of works by a contemporary Hungarian artist living abroad during the socialist era, marking a significant milestone in Hungarian art history. Konok’s paintings were introduced in Hungary at a moment when abstract art, after decades of exclusion, was finally “absolved” once again.