A defining feature of Szilárd Cseke’s oeuvre is the possibility of shifting identity and its inherently processual nature. Moving between two- and three-dimensional forms and across different media, his works register transformations as they unfold and function as visual models or symbolically encoded structures. Presented across three rooms of Kunsthalle Budapest, the exhibition offers insight into the diversity of the artist’s practice, marking a rare occasion, as these works have never previously been shown together.
The wide range of artworks presented in the exhibition room—conceptual, interactive, and kinetic installations; mobile sculptures accompanied by sound effects and employing both natural elements (water and air) and artificial materials (such as rubber tires); related abstract paintings; video works; figurative canvases painted in oil and acrylic that narrate stories and depict people and wrecked cars—together with large-scale forest paintings pointing toward non-figuration and realized through both classical and innovative techniques; and the associated bent-steel sculptures that step out of the plane into space—represent one facet of his artistic practice.
His broader practice also encompasses monochrome landscape and cloud paintings; figurative canvases constructed like storyboards or accompanied by literary quotations; pieces with text and comic-strip elements; abstract compositions shaped by controlled chance, painted on reused materials such as furniture boards, or made using foil; as well as prints, graphic art, woodcuts, and sound installations. Alongside these, he has produced an astrology-themed booklet[1] and created works in collaboration with fellow artists.
Cseke’s practice evokes the versatility, creative vitality, and genre-expanding openness often associated with the figure of the Renaissance artist. His enduring desire for freedom continually inspires him to test himself through ever-new artistic languages. Although this remarkably diverse body of work—spanning a wide range of genres and techniques—has been created by the rich intellectual vision of a single individual, it can at times seem as if it were produced by the different alter egos or identities of the same personality.
The works by Szilárd Cseke presented in this comprehensive exhibition at Kunsthalle reveal not only their distinctive individual characteristics but also the common features that inspired their creation.
Curator: Réka Fazakas