Alexander Tinei
Soul on Fire
The Erika Deák Gallery is delighted to annouce the long awaited solo exhibition of Moldavian, Alexander Tinei, who lives in Hungary for almost two decades now. His unique, unmistakable style convinced many institutions, curators and collectors that his pantings are not simply aesthetic masterpieces, but the frozen remembrances of our times and cultures.
The focus of his new series is young people, and by looking at these paintings we might have a sense of peeking into the secret life of Generation Z. While examining these eccentric figures acting perplexed on Tinei’s canvases, we can also identify signs of this sub-cultural youth aesthetic, clothes, shoes and other typical attributes appear. His characters are generally proud, posing almost like soldiers, sending a message of „Look at me! This is me! I am who I am!” however, they sometimes seem to be confused and shy, remaining bunged in their own world.
In his past series, Tinei put his figures in floating spaces, in emptiness. Now the surrounding changed, it is more pronounced and concrete, as he creates actual, expressive interiors. As Tinei explains „these new paintings brought a new kind of freedom for me”. And in fact the viewer can also sense this dinamic power that moves Tinei, while building these new paintings. Building is used on purpose, as that's what Tinei does nowadays. He builds up the paintings layer by layer with a unique collage technique, using tools usually used by constructors, like spatulas or masonry spoons.
Alexander Tinei was born in Moldavia in 1967. He lives and works in Budapest. He had two solo exhibitions in this year, in Paris and in Tokyo and he also exhibited in the Magdeburg Kunstmuseum. In 2013 he exhibited in Saatchi Gallery, London and Eigen+Art, Berlin/Leipzig. In 2011, he also exhibited at the Prague Biennial. His paintings were featured in Vitamin P2 published by Phaidon in 2012, and in Painting now 2015, published by Thames and Hudson. His works can be found in some of the most important international and local collections.
On View: 2017. December 12 – 2018. February 3.