SOUNDPROOF ZOLTÁN 9, 2016

Barna Péli (1972) is one of the most stubborn and tireless Hungarian contemporary sculptors of the last decade, a key figure of his generation. Born in Oradea and receiving his sculpture diploma in Budapest, Péli has been mentioned by his reviewers in recent years as a great experimenter; his sculptures address the challenges and central elements of classical sculpture: gravity, balance, and composition. Péli's true innovation stems from his curiosity to try new materials and technologies, and his instant technical solutions result in genuine momentary conjunctions and spontaneous solutions in his works.

Péli works with situations that, in terms of genre, balance between installation and sculpture. Each of the artist's sculpture groups is an absurd story that contains both banal and complex references, as well as a fair number of private mythological elements. The Trafó Gallery is now transformed into a dirty industrial backdrop, in whose laboratory or operating room Barna Péli and his team create mechanical human machines and other anthropomorphic beings during their posthuman excursion.

Péli's unquestionable and instinctive use of materials will create an ephemeral, dynamic exhibition situation in the space of the Trafó Gallery as well. We hope that Péli's vibrant hybrid figures, resplendent in many colors, will renew Hungarian sculptural traditions for some of our visitors, while for others, they will simply reinforce their faith in sculpture.

Contributors to the exhibition: Boglárka G. Horváth, Róbert Gyuris, Gergő Kovách, Balázs Somogyi
Opened by Márk Horváth
Photo: Miklós Surányi