About the Exhibition

Pál Csaba – exhibition essay by Concetta Zurzolo 

Hungary has a rich history of art that lives alongside its’ vibrant contemporary art scene. It is often called the “Paris of the East” and is known for its stunning architecture. What a wonderful place to emerge as an artist, an environment that all at once embraces the new while the old is still preserved and visible; a place where art is nurtured and has a welI-rooted presence.

Pál Csaba is a Hungarian artist based in the bustling capital city of Budapest. Csaba makes work using a variety of techniques and a wide range of subject matter. He says that the subject is often determined by the technique whether it’s printmaking, paintings, installation or digital prints. Inspiration for his most recent work is derived from the continuous conflict between our external world and our innermost dreams and desires. The viewer can clearly see this conflict when looking at the works. The harsh lines seem to embody this struggle. The question that Pál wants the viewer to answer is, “what is real and what is our inner response to this reality?”

“The human soul is full of unconscious desires and emotions and these often run counter to the desires of the external world. The opposition between what we feel and what we see causes conflict between our unconscious and conscious minds, so that finally the desire to expel these incompatible forces overwhelms us. I want to express these unconscious elements (of the human psyche) in my work” -Pál Csaba

Pál’s images are not intended to represent nature, but rather the focus is on the creative process, its stratification and the construction of the absolute and the possibility to impress upon these images a sense of time. Each piece is titled with dates, and the significance of these dates is meant to serve as a record of (human) experience.