Residency Unlimited

The future of the past is the present

July 13 – 15, 2022 | 4:00 – 7:00 PM

American Hungarian Library and Historical Society
215 East 82nd Street, New York, NY 10028

The future of the past is the present features new works by the Hungarian artists Ádám Albert and Marton Nemes.

Looking at cultural-intellectual transmissions that traverse historical time and geographical space, Ádám Albert creates a site-specific installation with sculptures from the collection of the American Hungarian Library which were originally exhibited at the Hungarian Pavilion at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. Through this gesture of appropriation, Albert transforms these elements to create a poetic story of the power relations unfolding on the eve of the Second World War with the intention of linking the meaning of these objects to a popular and historical understanding.

The ‘Meta Paintings’ series by Marton Nemes point to the place where society now exists, between the physical and digital space. The sensation that we experience how the Metaverse creates a duplicated, alternative reality looked through a real world computer screen is similar how the artist opens a window on the body of the painting to the mirrored bottom, where we can see everything reversed. The “Meta Paintings” are like the rabbit hole, through a jungle of laser cut, vibrantly painted closeups of brushstrokes where the viewer can reach Wonderland, without really knowing yet what future awaits us.

Click below to see images from the exhibition and talk

The future of the past is the present

About

RU artist Ádám Albert is an artist, educator and researcher. Albert is Associate Professor and head of the Department of Artistic Anatomy Drawing and Geometry at the the Hungarian University of Fine Arts Budapest as well as director of the Art and Art Theory College for Advanced Studies. Albert works in a variety of media, often using forgotten craftsman techniques, typically working with materials from private and institutional archives. His works are featured in the permanent collection displays at the Hungarian National Gallery and Ludwig Museum – Contemporary Art Museum Budapest. Ádám Albert’s residency is made possible with support from The Trust for Mutual Understanding and the ACAX Agency for Contemporary Art Exchange.

Marton Nemes is a multimedia artist who currently lives and works in New York, creating paintings, sculptures, installations and sounds. He received an M.F.A. from Chelsea College of Arts, London in 2018. He had solo shows with Annka Kultys Gallery and Fold Gallery in London, BWA Warsawa Gallery in Warsaw, acb Gallery in Budapest and Double Q Gallery in Hong Kong. His work is in part of the collection of Ludwig Museum – Contemporary Art Museum Budapest.

This program benefits from the support of The Trust for Mutual Understanding and the ACAX Agency for Contemporary Art Exchange.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

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