Ádám Horváth – Sense of Sediment And Ash In My Vessels
Text by: Kristóf Kovács (Gergely Sajnos), Crime Scene Investigator
Just like an archeologist digging up the past, the paintings and sculptures of Ádám Horváth look to rediscover a mystic nature. Pre-romantics are the essence rather than the style or topic of his works, using nature and its elements as metaphors, the works becoming not unlike magical relic holders.
Strictly against taking part in our media-manipulated and technology-oriented society, he instead creates a comforting, idyllic, and mysterious environment that focuses on the transition between living and lifelessness. The works are based on the invisible circulation between the powers that create and those that destroy, which you can feel through small references. This dream-like, sometimes distant world full of myths and symbols is like a protective shield from our present that is mostly formed by technoromantics.
To Reign in The Ruins of Promises
The works are mostly ruled by feelings of isolation and mysticism and basically create an atmosphere for the viewer. They are dominated by topics present generations dealt with either consciously or unconsciously, such as a search for home, or the feeling of not having roots.
Hibernated bones
On the one hand, this dark and magical context complete with organic structures points at a private mythology built on a dystopian, distinctive utopia which constitutes an ode to disappointment, the process of healing and forced solutions. On the other hand, a declaration of love for nature’s wonderful illusions.
The visually clear language of Ádám makes his works stand out from the “primordial soup” (abiogenesis) and takes us to a mystic land full of familiar yet distinctive and unknown elements and motifs.
Moon dancer
INTERVIEW
What is the main storyline in your art pieces, especially the objects? Are there any connections to the philosophies of utopia or dystopia? Also, your drawings seem to portray dreamlike, futuristic mutants, such as animals or fantastic flora and fauna. Where do you come up with the ideas for these visuals?
I was born and grew up in Miskolc in Eastern Hungary, at the feet of the Bükk Mountains. Miskolc was an important industrial city in the socialist era, with significant heavy industry, until the regime changed in 1990. The relationship between the industrial urban environment and the surrounding nature strongly shaped my image of the relationship between nature and humans.
View of an open heart from an opened window
Night lurking
Conversation with the Moon
In my works I intend to reflect to our current ecological situation of how we try to control our acts from the past and in the present anthropocene epoch, which connects with dystopia and postapocalyptic visions.
Last day of the Daisy (with warrior mask)
My works serve to heal wounds from the past, like a gauze that can protect and help the healing process through personal mythology and romanticism. They are like a canopic jar of excised flesh from the body.
There were a castle made of tears and leaves
Are you currently preparing any new exhibition or project we can look forward to?
At the moment that I’m sure of, I will be part of a group show in March at Sperling, Munich, and at the beginning of April I’ll do a solo show in Hungary at Gallery Horizont, Budapest. I’m in a very early process to prepare for a solo show later this year in November at WeSpace, Shanghai.
We rest deeply when the fire comes
I wish I could grow chitin
