Illés Sarkantyu: Paraphrases

Curator: Judit Gellér
Opening on June 19th, 2017, 6 pm
Opening remarks by Katalin Aknai
Free admission: June 20 – August 19, 2017

Illés Sarkantyu assumes different creative positions in the course of his work. He acts as a researcher, an art historian, an archaeologist, and a kind of detective, then he creates his own interpretations based on the information and experience he acquired about the artists and artworks. The reflections on the highlighted details (the edge of the paper, notes on an adhesive tape, the connection of different shapes, the changes in hue, or a gesture creating a special atmosphere) are hardly hinting at the sources of inspiration, the phases of the research, or the processes of learning about the artworks or the professional contrivances. Thus, the paraphrases of Illés Sarkantyu appear as associations, some kind of free translations of the original pieces, and this is how they become new references, new models, new sources.

We regularly look for frames of reference for navigating through life. References. Paths. Models. Lives. Situations. Emotions. Impressions.

Illés Sarkantyu assumes different creative positions in the course of his work. He acts as a researcher, an art historian, an archaeologist, and a kind of detective, then he creates his own interpretations based on the information and experience he acquired about the artists and artworks. Thus, the paraphrases are not quasi-reproductions, or mere appropriations of the original works – paintings, verso of photographs, or other fine arts pieces – conceived via the medium of photography, but they are reconstructions of impressions created by stepping into artistic attitudes, experiences and situations via the various initial images.

The selected artists and their artworks are not necessarily the most popular or most widely known works of art history, but rather ones that reflect personal relationships, or experiences acquired and experienced via personal interactions. The works of the Hungarian artists of French affiliations, for example Lucien Hervé, known for his architectural photographs; the choreographer-artist Josef Nadj (József Nagy); or the painter Alexandre Hollan (Sándor Hollán) are just as important reference points in Sarkantyu’s series as the pieces of outstanding figures of contemporary European fine arts, like Pierre Tal Coat, or Gerhard Richter.

The reflections on the highlighted details (the edge of the paper, notes on an adhesive tape, the connection of different shapes, the changes in hue, or a gesture creating a special atmosphere) are hardly hinting at the sources of inspiration, the phases of the research, or the processes of learning about the artworks or the professional contrivances. Thus, the paraphrases of Illés Sarkantyu appear as associations, some kind of free translations of the original pieces, and this is how they become new references, new models, new sources.

Illés Sarkantyu was born in Budapest in 1977. Following his studies at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest, he moved to France. Since 2002, he has been creating photographs and movies upon the commissioning of artists and cultural institutions. He works as an associate of the Lucien Hervé estate. His works can be found in the collections of the Hungarian Museum of Photography in Kecskemét, the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, and the French Domaine départemental de Kerguéhennec. He has regularly participated in group and solo exhibitions in galleries and museums, both in Hungary and abroad, since 1998.