Marek Materka, "Untitled", 2011. Photo courtesy of the organisers
While recording the surrounding reality, Bartek Materka simultaneously demonstrates distortions; for instance technical or biological which can affect the image
Polish artist Bartek Materka presents "The Cloud Has Moved", his first solo exhibition in Hungary at the Platan Gallery of the Polish Institute. The artist's paintings are directed at the everyday visual adventures, but he especially concentrates on the deformations which the image of reality undergoes in our consciousness. Materka's works, which are usually created on the basis of photographs, are an analysis of the optical apparatus and the influences exerted on it by modern optic technologies and the methods of generating images (digital picture, television, microscopes, ASCII code). These painterly experiments, apart from being motivated by scientific interest, betray strong emotions.
Besides autobiographical themes, works emerge which analyse psychological and sociological phenomena. The artist further draws inspiration from the deformations related to neurological disorders. Predominant is the question of emotions of private life - the heroes of Materka's paintings are usually people from his closest milieu: his wife Joanna, son Tytus, female friends. Often these are exactly the emotions generated by the relations which find visualization in the paintings. This distorts both the paintings and images, overclouds them, makes them come apart and imposes one on top of the other, which, in turn, demands that different perspectives of perception and understanding be employed.
Bartek Materka was born in 1973 in Gdańsk. In 2004 he graduated from the Painting Department of the Krakow Fine Arts Academy. He collaborates with the Raster Gallery (Galeria Raster). He lives and works in Krakow.
"The Cloud Has Moved" opens on the 2nd of February 2012 at 18:00 and runs through the 16 of March 2012.
Opening speech by: Barbara Wiechno, former director of the Polish Institute, Emese Révész, art historian,
Beata Nowacka-Kardzis is curator of the exhibition.
The exhibition is organised in cooperation with the Gallery of Contemporary Art Bunkier Sztuki in Krakow.
Platan Gallery
VI. Andrássy út 32
Budapest
Source: Polish Institute in Hungary