Johan Tahon - Alexander Tinei
The Soul Once We Loaded
The Erika Deák Gallery is delighted to announce its next, joint exhibition of Moldavian painter, Alexander Tinei and Belgian sculptor, Johan Tahon. We will present brand new works from Tinei, who is widely recognized by his strange figures highlighted with emblematic tattoos and uncanny patterns, and as well from Tahon, who creates raw, seemingly unrefined, amorphous sculptures.
Tinei always finds inspiration in the media; he chooses his models from the pages of magazines or the internet. He then puts his heroes into a new context, and rebuilds their world by marking them with his characteristic blue lines that remind us to bloodlines, arteries, veins or even signs of stigmas. Tinei usually disguises his figures with layers of paint; some parts are painted precisely, to a nearly anatomical perfection, while other parts remain loosely covered, almost abstract. Tinei’s surrealist world, and on the edge figures, make a beautiful parallel with the dazzlingly white sculptures of Johan Tahon. Tahon depicts bodies that are anatomically impossible, we are facing distorted faces, torsos and elongated limbs. The essence of his works is the tactility of the physical process of creation; he is able to show the state where everything remains possible, where anything can happen. Through his sculptures, Tahon is able to depict the moment that proves the notion of constant change, eternal flux. Tahon, in fact doesn't simply shape the bodies, but just like Tinei, rather reveals the soul itself.
Alexander Tinei was born in Moldavia in 1967. He lives and works in Budapest. His latest exhibitions include a group shows 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.
Johan Tahon was born in 1965 in Belgium. He lives and works in Saint Denis Boekel and in Istanbul. He exhibited in such prestigious institutions, like the SMAK, Ghent, the Akbank Art Center, Istanbul, the Bonnefanten Museum, Maastrict or the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds. His works can be found in such important collections as the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Dutch Royal House Collection or the SMAK, and as well in many private collections around the world.
04. 10. 2015 - 05. 16. 2015