Up to a Point is the first joint exhibition of Hungarian artist, Árpád Forgó and Estonian artist, Mihkel Ilus, which is taking place in the main exhibition hall of Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre.
Where is the point it breaks, where is the point it changes its meaning, where is the point it ends or it begins, where is the point our perception is disturbed and we start questioning what we see, where is the point it is done. The exhibition at KKKC introduces unique works converging to the boundaries and motivate the viewer to discover and contemplate.
Looking at an artwork, we are looking at materials. For centuries, canvas, stretchers and paint have been the basic raw materials in painting, just like today. The importance of these classical painting materials are common ground for the exhibited artists, which is the key concept behind the show. Árpád Forgó’s recent shaped canvas solutions from the “Diagonal compositions” series and wall objects from the “Bipolar” series get in dialogue with Mihkel Ilus’ latest installations and recontextualised earlier works. They are working in the field of geometry and minimalism, creating compositions, structures and sculptural works. The exhibition presents very different visual outcomes on the artists’ approach and attitude to raw materials.
The exhibited works are consistent results of the experiments the artists have been going through in the past few years. They keep searching the limits and interpretations of the materials, which idea go through the whole exhibition.
It appears in the form of tension, such as a permanent tension in Forgó’s stretched canvases, where he plays with the ductility of an almost non-ductile material, as well as in the large- scale wall installation of Ilus, where he presses wedges into hard wood plates to the point the material almost bursts apart.
Stretchers and canvas are visible elements in Ilus’ works, they are not painterly raw-materials anymore, rather installation „tools“ on their own. He also integrates remains of earlier artworks into new pieces to express continuity. In contrast with this, Forgó is currently interested in challenging the viewers’ perception by using certain painting processes where the canvas and the wood structure are not recognisable elements anymore.
As for the composition process, both of them are keen on working with repetitive rhythmical patterns, playing out several variations of the same idea, or developing compositions from objects and pre-defined modules. Some of the exhibited artworks can be considered as open or infinite pieces, and the viewer has the chance to think or “build” them further.
In a digital context of the 21st century, both artists managed to retain the ability to visualise contemporary ideas through an accurate hand-made feature of the process, aiming for perfectionism. Despite the often rigid, geometrical and architectural characteristics of the artworks, they can subtly relate to the space and communicate with each other.
Árpád Forgó (1972), Budapest based artist, is a key figure of the genre shaped canvas in the Hungarian contemporary art scene. He has exhibited widely; his solo shows include Rómer Flóris Museum of Art and History in Győr, Hungary; Schlieder Contemporary in Frankfurt and Anya Tish Gallery, Houston. He has participated in several group exhibitions, including Ludwig Museum and Vasarely Museum in Hungary; Museum Ritter in Germany and the Rothko Museum in Latvia. Artist residency programs play an important role in Forgó’s career; he has been invited by the Vermont Studio Center and the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation in the USA; the Sydney Non Objective Contemporary Art Projects in Australia, The Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai and most recently by the Montresso Art Foundation in Marrakech. He was a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grantee in the years 2019-2020.
Mihkel Ilus (1987) Tallinn-based artist, studied painting at the University of Tartu and the Estonian Academy of Arts. An important part of his oeuvre is made up of an intertwining critical approach to contemporary exhibition culture and performance art. His recent exhibitions include Hobusepea Gallery in Tallinn, Hordaland Kunstsenter in Bergen, Tartu Art House and Tallinn Art House.
Árpád Forgó (HU) – Mihkel Ilus (EST)
Up to a Point
Curator: Gábor Pintér
Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre Main Exhibition Hall
2024, May 10 – July 7
Klaipeda Culture Communication Centre Open: Wednesday – Sunday 11am–7pm www.kkkc.lt
Supported by National Cultural Fund of Hungary, Embassy of Hungary in Vilnius, Cultural Endowment of Estonia, Vakarų laivų gamykla.
Photography: Gediminas Sass
