In her first solo exhibition at Galerie Droste, titled SUGAR RUSH, the hungarian artist Mira Makai transports us into a cosmos full of possibilities, happy coincidents and nostalgia.
This self-created universe is inspired by video games and virtual realities that seem equally familiar as they are populated by characters and scenes from early computer games. Through this positive atmosphere, Makai allows us to escape from our reality into a world full of friendliness, openness and, above all, magic. She feels it is an elementary part of life to leave the heaviness of current events behind and lose oneself in daydreams regularly.
All her paintings and ceramics are united by a sweeping gesture and an esprit of the spontaneous. Each sculpture, for example, is created in a multi-stage creative process, beginning with freehand modelling, and ending with a final firing of glass powder mixed with color pigments. This results in sculptures and canvases that resemble sweets and are inspired by Kawaii Culture and Candy Core Aesthetics. The mind-expanding possibilities that digital worlds offer us, become tangible and experiential through Mira Makai's works. It is not surprising that the artist describes the moment when she opens the oven for the last time as a "magical entry into a parallel universe". This pure joy of life is palpable in every single one of her works.
At the same time, more uneasy references can be discerned in her dynamic works. Three Wishes, for example, is reminiscent of the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, which in itself carries an ambiguity. The dragon-like figure Guardian seems to protect us but is unaware of its surroundings. Her exhibition SUGAR RUSH is thus not limited to positivity at any price. Rather, it is a representation of the possibilities in our lives. An invitation not to close ourselves off to the effects of color, light and movement, but to perceive them as a source of strength. Makai's dream of better worlds shines all the way here, to us.
Mira Makai (b. 1990, Budapest, HU) received her MA degree from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in 2016 in the class of Andras Lengyel. She lives and works in Budapest, Hungary