March 2015
It’s not easy being an artist, and not due to the challenges perhaps of creating and existing. It is more so due to the fact that you as an artist may never truly be understood, not even by yourself. And yet, it is this search for identity that fuels art as we know it. Perhaps the longer the search, the greater the art becomes.
Anita Kroo grew up living throughout the US and Europe, but it is Hungary she has called home for the last 10 plus years of her life. And it is Budapest which has served as the backdrop to her journey as an artist. Now, Anita tells me, it is time to move; it is in her blood that she craves change. Sitting so relaxed and at-home on the futon couch here at the community artist workshop, "Müszi," I almost wonder if Anita will ever make that move. Here in Budapest, everything seems to always be changing; is it not enough?
Back in 2004 at the young age of 19, Anita was assigned to a group project entitled "Happiness." She quickly informs me that she had nothing to do with the title. And yet, as you glance through her works from that time and several years following, you are struck by a pervasive theme of memories and childhood, all wrapped up in bold, bright colors and shapes. Anita seems to have been searching back through her life, seeking her identity; and it is indeed "happy."
It is not until 2012 that we see Anita start to emerge as a true artist. It was also at this time that I first met Anita, inviting her to exhibit at a business/art evening at the company I then worked for. “Cityscapes” was the name of the series, and as a fan of architecture, I was immediately drawn into the concrete shapes and commanding structures of her works. Her use of color was limited in most of the paintings but came blaring out in a couple of them, most pointedly Shell gas station at Szena square. Here the colors were as captivating as the sleek brushstrokes used to betray the buildings’ lines. It is a mesmerizing piece of contemporary simplicity, both in terms of the subject matter as well as technique.
It’s not easy being an artist, and not due to the challenges perhaps of creating and existing. It is more so due to the fact that you as an artist may never truly be understood, not even by yourself. And yet, it is this search for identity that fuels art as we know it. Perhaps the longer the search, the greater the art becomes.
Anita Kroo grew up living throughout the US and Europe, but it is Hungary she has called home for the last 10 plus years of her life. And it is Budapest which has served as the backdrop to her journey as an artist. Now, Anita tells me, it is time to move; it is in her blood that she craves change. Sitting so relaxed and at-home on the futon couch here at the community artist workshop, "Müszi," I almost wonder if Anita will ever make that move. Here in Budapest, everything seems to always be changing; is it not enough?
Back in 2004 at the young age of 19, Anita was assigned to a group project entitled "Happiness." She quickly informs me that she had nothing to do with the title. And yet, as you glance through her works from that time and several years following, you are struck by a pervasive theme of memories and childhood, all wrapped up in bold, bright colors and shapes. Anita seems to have been searching back through her life, seeking her identity; and it is indeed "happy."
It is not until 2012 that we see Anita start to emerge as a true artist. It was also at this time that I first met Anita, inviting her to exhibit at a business/art evening at the company I then worked for. “Cityscapes” was the name of the series, and as a fan of architecture, I was immediately drawn into the concrete shapes and commanding structures of her works. Her use of color was limited in most of the paintings but came blaring out in a couple of them, most pointedly Shell gas station at Szena square. Here the colors were as captivating as the sleek brushstrokes used to betray the buildings’ lines. It is a mesmerizing piece of contemporary simplicity, both in terms of the subject matter as well as technique.
Shell gas station at Szena square
Keleti Railway Station
Most intriguing, however, was the growing absence of such color and delineated shapes in other works. Keleti railway station perhaps best announces this transition. As we are forced to stare down the vast concrete staircase, the stone railings are absolute, but the dripping blue paint seems to enshrine a void leading to unknown waters.
As her works progress, you see Anita’s brush turn to broad strokes, drips, and dribbles. Colors are grayer, dirtier, blurrier. We feel like we are melting into the very city the artist has grown up in as she seeks to find the meaning within. Hotel Budapest No.2 simply envelops us in an inescapable whirl of energy as well as mystery.
Hotel Budapest No.2
And then there is silence. Anita's pure lines return once more in Republic Square, and yet they are also completely overcome by the flood of paint dripping down the canvas. Blaha Lujza underground is pivotal. The flood has abated, the structure is there, but we witness only the fading lines of her once concrete forms; and we are drawn to the blank faces of the dreary figures who come and go. The kerchiefed women may be a testament to the Roma so predominant at Blaha, wandering, wondering. This piece is quite possibly one of Anita’s most powerful, both as a work of art and as a social statement.
PAST features
Read all about Gábor Bertényi's work sourcing food directly from local Hungarian farms for catering company Házikó and Farmbistro.
|
Máté Wohlmuth talks programmers, coding, Meetups...
and poker in Budapest.
|
Blaha Lujza Underground
Anita most definitely was still seeking greater definition as an artist, and in her "In Concrete" series we see a wiping of the palette, so to speak, in preparation of something greater, although we know not what. Still working within the realm of architecture, her buildings are now completely grayscale, empty and unrecognizable. We are left with the skeletons of empty structures waiting to be completed and filled.
Identity Swap does the same, but this time with people. The empty faces of Anita’s figures are not so much haunting as curious. Anita calls upon the "irreplaceable content of one’s self," as the figures stand before us. We know they have souls and memories but we are not allowed to see them; we are not allowed in. And yet there is a beauty in the absence, in the privacy of their thoughts and intimate moments. Water Memory is a glorious rendering of subtlety. The delicate use of brush and color perfectly bring to life this Budapest bath scene, and the laughter, sun, and fun are right in front of us. The whispers, caresses, and splashing are so unbelievably tangible even though they are nowhere to be seen. This is art.
Identity Swap does the same, but this time with people. The empty faces of Anita’s figures are not so much haunting as curious. Anita calls upon the "irreplaceable content of one’s self," as the figures stand before us. We know they have souls and memories but we are not allowed to see them; we are not allowed in. And yet there is a beauty in the absence, in the privacy of their thoughts and intimate moments. Water Memory is a glorious rendering of subtlety. The delicate use of brush and color perfectly bring to life this Budapest bath scene, and the laughter, sun, and fun are right in front of us. The whispers, caresses, and splashing are so unbelievably tangible even though they are nowhere to be seen. This is art.
Water Memory
Home Is Where The Water Resistant Beds Are
Anita’s own journey continued. Her works at this point allowed the viewer to imagine freely, but she herself had not yet found a meaning, a purpose to her brush.
It is in her most recent series, "Public Space versus Private Space," that we see Anita Kroo the artist in full form. This is not because she lacked talent before nor because we did not impart meaning to her works. It is simply because she had not yet found a message to give us, or moreover, think about. Anita had been wandering, searching. Then finally she had something to say.
Anita’s site itself states clearly her question in "Public vs Private": what is luxury? More exactly, why do so many luxury homes mimic the cold contemporary world of office space? Or even better, why do the owners wants such a "home"?
True to her art, Anita does not force us to think one way or another. She simply places in front of us this paradox. Her style is now distinct: the lines, colors, structure, drips, dribbles and grays have now become fully integrated into her works in peaceful harmony. The blue of the pools is predominant, her strokes mostly broad. The skeletons of "In Concrete" have now been filled, yet in a way which allows us, the viewer, to reach our own final meaning.
It is in her most recent series, "Public Space versus Private Space," that we see Anita Kroo the artist in full form. This is not because she lacked talent before nor because we did not impart meaning to her works. It is simply because she had not yet found a message to give us, or moreover, think about. Anita had been wandering, searching. Then finally she had something to say.
Anita’s site itself states clearly her question in "Public vs Private": what is luxury? More exactly, why do so many luxury homes mimic the cold contemporary world of office space? Or even better, why do the owners wants such a "home"?
True to her art, Anita does not force us to think one way or another. She simply places in front of us this paradox. Her style is now distinct: the lines, colors, structure, drips, dribbles and grays have now become fully integrated into her works in peaceful harmony. The blue of the pools is predominant, her strokes mostly broad. The skeletons of "In Concrete" have now been filled, yet in a way which allows us, the viewer, to reach our own final meaning.
|
Perhaps this is what draws owners to this style of house. Though perhaps cold and distant to some, contemporary architecture allows many a sense of freedom. The lack of decor for decor’s sake bespeaks a simplicity many now seek, and it enables the real memories, love, and family to be highlighted and celebrated without any fuss. Anita’s pools echo this contrast: a "restricted" space enveloping immeasurable freedom and fun to be experienced and defined by us alone. Much like what we seek in art: our own meaning, our own memories, our own fun. This final series seems to have brought Anita full circle. |
Dream House
So what’s next? Anita has said she seeks change and is in fact dependent on it, that it is in her blood. Her grandfather was a Hungarian Jew who decided to stay in the Soviet Union post-holocaust while his sister fled to the US, the "promised land." Anita’s father pursued his career as a professor of mathematics in the US only to return to Europe and eventually Hungary. Now Anita feels it is her turn to journey to the US and seek out her "promise." I ask her what she hopes to find. "Inspiration," she tells me with gleaming eyes.
Back in 2004, Anita was part of a group project entitled "Happiness." I was not shown any of those pieces, but the playful, almost naive colors of her 2007 landscape series most definitely were exuberant as well as her following years of memory searching. Anita informed me she loved to play with color during this phase.
Today, there is not a trace of naivety left in Anita’s art, but her works betray a definite sense of "happiness" of a different sort. One untitled abstract piece from 2009 would give us a glimpse of the artist she would become. Grayscale with hints of peach and gold, there is something there; a figure perhaps, but we are not sure.
Back in 2004, Anita was part of a group project entitled "Happiness." I was not shown any of those pieces, but the playful, almost naive colors of her 2007 landscape series most definitely were exuberant as well as her following years of memory searching. Anita informed me she loved to play with color during this phase.
Today, there is not a trace of naivety left in Anita’s art, but her works betray a definite sense of "happiness" of a different sort. One untitled abstract piece from 2009 would give us a glimpse of the artist she would become. Grayscale with hints of peach and gold, there is something there; a figure perhaps, but we are not sure.
Untitled
Thinking back to Anita’s faceless figures in Water memory and those forms at Blaha, I wonder if she could not fully apply herself to a series of abstract portraits. Architecture has been her favored vehicle. Could she come full circle to the human form and its soul while leaving us to draw our own conclusions? Looking at this untitled from so many years ago, I would love to see this journey.
Perhaps in New York Anita will find her inspiration. It appears it is indeed time for a change; and hopefully there is even greater art to come.
Here’s to being, Anita Kroo.
Budapest Up Close has started reviewing Hungarian films for non-Hungarians to become better acquainted with the country's incredible movie output. Click here for our first post on Liza, the Fox Fairy with Mónika Balsai and Szabolcs Bede Fazekas.
Inside-Out: MFA Thesis Show at the Pratt
May 8th, 2017
Scroll down for Anita's Statement. Credit for all photos here below goes to Jay Jiawei Zhao
Artist Statement from Anita Kroo
MFA Thesis Show
May 8-12, 2017
Dekalb Gallery
I am interested in the body, the conscious and the unconscious mind, and the drive of sexual desire. I’m exploring my most intense psychological states, my most personal emotional states, and most physical experiences via painting and drawing the body. My work addresses fear, pain, pleasure, and anxiety. I am expressing an aspect of female sexuality through art that I consider to be both vulnerable and heroic.
I am searching for the irrational and the threshold beyond the grasp of reason. I often feel that there is a lack of value of intuition in our society. Through my images I am representing what otherwise may be dismissed or subjugated. Through painting and drawing I am giving dichotomies of my existence material form. I am interested in the dichotomies of female/male, childhood/adulthood, and body/mind.
I am interested in the controversies between how we experience our body and sexuality, and what are the socially legitimized parameters of that experience.
MFA Thesis Show
May 8-12, 2017
Dekalb Gallery
I am interested in the body, the conscious and the unconscious mind, and the drive of sexual desire. I’m exploring my most intense psychological states, my most personal emotional states, and most physical experiences via painting and drawing the body. My work addresses fear, pain, pleasure, and anxiety. I am expressing an aspect of female sexuality through art that I consider to be both vulnerable and heroic.
I am searching for the irrational and the threshold beyond the grasp of reason. I often feel that there is a lack of value of intuition in our society. Through my images I am representing what otherwise may be dismissed or subjugated. Through painting and drawing I am giving dichotomies of my existence material form. I am interested in the dichotomies of female/male, childhood/adulthood, and body/mind.
I am interested in the controversies between how we experience our body and sexuality, and what are the socially legitimized parameters of that experience.
