Kristina Mesaros exhibition On the Edge of Time at the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum
We are excited to announce a solo exhibition by our gallery artist Kristina Mesaros at one of the largest private European museums - the Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava, Slovakia that is to take place September 6 - October 23, 2022.
The curator of the exhibition, Eva Trojanová commented on the exhibition and her selection of Kristina’s work for this major solo project:
“In the past two decades, developments on the Slovak domestic art scene have led to an intensive turn toward painting, the language of which acquires power and importance. Within this framework the theme of landscape offers a revitalization of transcendental thoughts and an emotional impact on people. Today, landscape is more important than ever before, not only in terms of the ecology of the environment, but also the ecology of emotional values.
The paintings of Kristína Mésároš have brought noteworthy results. She is an intensive observer of nature and surrounding life which forms the basis of her artwork. And her fundamental approach to work is emotional, founded on stories. They are like fragments of a kaleidoscope of life which operate as impulses for painting. As a result, Kristina’s paintings act as if on their own, because “stories” are not the essence, but they end up behind the painting as the completion of the synthesis of lived, seen experiences and painting imagination. Landscape as a natural space which humans are only a small part of, but which they respect and honor, has become dominant in her work.
Mesaros is not afraid to reach for neo-romanticizing artistic means, through echoes of Art Nouveau and imaginative incentives of modernity. The motifs of her stories, frequently comprising series of paintings, are based on specific activities. They are not outlined as dynamic, dramatic situations, but rather as snapshots of recordings escaping reality. This impression is also underlined by the presence of figurative motifs. A figure, frequently alone or absent, deserted boats and mysterious huts signalize the unnecessariness of contact. The character of lonely satisfaction and mysterious peace are suggested by suspended time as a space for deliberations on the existence that surrounds us. A kind of “Pictorial Minimalism” depicting peace with a question mark. Seemingly nice landscapes frequently hide discrepancies of the individual existence of a person and the environment she inhabits.”
Kristína Mésároš (1981) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava in 2006 under doc. Vojtech Kolenčík. Her decision to focus on painting was influenced by her internship at LASALLE College of Arts in Singapore in 2009. Her subsequent PhD work which she defended in 2014, was informed by the exotic environment and an extended sojourn in Bali. Landscape and water elements which frame figurative motifs have become the main themes of her work. Kristina has taken part in a number of international residency progrms and art fairs in Italy, France, Austria, and Slovenia, among others. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions and regularly showcases her works in solo exhibitions at home and abroad. She lives and works in Austria.
Danubiana Meulensteen Art Museum in Bratislava, Slovakia is a major private museum founded by Gerard Meulensteen of Eindhoven, a Dutch collector and art patron, and Vincent Polakovič, a Slovak gallerist. Located on the borders of three Central European countries Slovakia, Hungary and Austria, the museum is an important European contemporary art institution that boasts apart from a beautiful exhibition space an extensive sculpture park on the Danube river.