Máté Orr and Sándor Rácmolnár show new works in a dual exhibition which showcase their brilliantly executed classical, fictional, metaphorical and mythological creatures and characters in a vibrant, contemporary setting. ‘Stereopsis’ is the process by which the flat, two-dimensional images seen by our eyes are reconfigured by our brain into a three-dimensional world of space, form and texture. And so, from initial fragmented information, a final, complete and accurate picture emerges of our world which we can analyse, interpret and understand. In a similar way, the manner in which Orr and Rácmolnár juxtapose and contextualise widely varying cultural references, drawn from many different sources within their work, enables them to create a complete and stimulating means of expressing visual content. In their motifs, characters and pictorial means of expression, both artists draw as naturally from classical art history as they do from horror films, naïve art and folklore.
The ‘hero’ of the exhibition in many of Rácmolnár’s [1960] works is a werewolf character, best known from horror films, who acts as the interpreter of the visual content. In horror film mythology, the werewolf is a metaphor for the life crisis of a middle-aged man, a hidden creature ostracised by humans and trapped in two forms of existence. Rácmolnár’s drawings and paintings include many art historical references and insertions, incorporating the werewolf in new and exciting contexts. The possibility of the werewolf entering the canon of art history removes the stigma of concealment, and, moreover, acts as a counterpoint to previous theories and practices of dramatic composition as both a medium and a mediator of pictorial content.
Máté Orr’s [1985] latest works offer a glimpse into a world where we meet ordinary characters, animals and people, in contexts which are far from ordinary. We cannot rely on logic alone to interpret his works. It is as if the very ground is being pulled out from under our feet. A meticulous attention to every detail in the workmanship of the presented images draws the viewer in, making scenes that at first sight seem beyond our understanding exciting, alluring and full of intriguing mysteries. In his largest canvases to date, this experience is amplified. The beings who populate his world guide us helpfully through an inner landscape, and in this journey we experience a personal yet universal order that exists parallel to the everyday. Orr places great emphasis on the strength and lucidity of the visual language he uses, which draws as naturally from Renaissance and Baroque painting traditions as it does from C21 vector graphics.