GALERIE DROSTE
Male, young persons with elongated and intertwined limbs, mark the canvas works of Hungarian artist Ákos Ezers and intertwine to form almost abstract paintings. The surreal depictions of the painterly bodies often take up the entire surface of the painting and, in their linearity, form a geometric frame that seems to constrain the people depicted within the canvas surface. Incorporated contemporary and pop culture references, such as smartphones, sneakers, and modern clothing, establish a connection to the present and situate familiar scenes for the viewer, apparently depicting everyday occupations. However, their stooped and contorted postures, reminiscent of the moment of falling down or a shamed gesture, as well as the blank stares of the men, make the protagonists seem like sad puppets of an invisible authority. All the painterly backdrops created by Ezer contrast sharply with the colorful and bold palette of the paintings. This extreme contradiction causes the attempt to refer to problems of the young protagonists depicted. Ákos Ezer as a young artist, raised in a digital world now dominated by social media for a long time, in which any conflicts are hidden behind illusionary facades of exaggerated self-portrayal, seems to point out this zeitgeist with his works. On the other hand, he invites the viewer to work out his own personal view of current, social structures in his native Hungary. The works tell in a gentle, humorous, but by no means banalizing way, about the life of the Hungarian youth and its, caused by political authorities and conflicts, personal efforts and lack of perspective in the everyday life.