Blažej Baláž – Geld macht Kunst

The name of the exhibition is in a way a play on words and paraphrases the sentence „Arbeit macht frei“ to „Geld macht frei“, which is at the same time a name of one of the exhibited works by the author and also the name of the author’s individual exhibition in Košice in the year 2001 an eventually to „Geld macht Kunst“.

The exhibition represents author’s paintings created during the years 1997 – 2003. Sizeable paintings (the largest of which is 300 x 800 cm) from the cycles Mandalas, Memory and Trivial Paintings are made of polyurethane, coun swarf, rasped coins and poppy seeds. Paintings combine post-conceptual approach with elements of post-minimal art, and could be referred of as „discursive painting“. The author has used the „powder“, which is a result of his rasping coins in his objects, paintings and graphics since the year 1992 particularly on his monochrome (single-coloured) Mandalas. Opposed material to this „mettalic, double dead“ surface is poppy seed, which recalls subconscious information of an individual character, sucha as childhood, or universal character – central European identity (for instance Poppy Field, 2001/2002, 300 x 600 cm). Works created by superimposing single colour layer of symbolic value by metallic powder or poppy seeds, could be viewed of as „fenestras aeternitatis“ (Windows to eternity). „Social“ paintings using letters (tableaux ecritures) are also created on the principle of a material painting, either by means of metallic powder or rasped coins themselves (CLEANMOMEY, 2002, GODSAVEUS, 2003). Works created as „memory objects“ resonate also with the thesis of „ethical judgement (Gilles Lipovetsky).

Blažej Baláž – Geld macht Kunst

Exhibition duration: 2003/06/12 – 2003/08/15 Place: Jan Koniarek Gallery, the Kopplel House, Zelený kríček 3, Trnava, Slovakia Curator: Jiří Valoch, a prominent Czech Fine Arts theorist from National Gallery in Prague, who addressed himself to Slovak art for 30 years

Blazej Balaz

Born on the 29th of October 1958 in Nevoľné, region Žiar nad Hronom Studies: 1973-77 Secondary School of Applied Arts, Kremnica 1977-83 Academy of Fine Arts, Bratislava At the present time the author lives in Trnava and acts as a profesor and Head of a Fine Arts Department at the University of Trnava. The current exhibition of Blažej Baláž Works is his 20th individual exhibition since he has finished his studies in the year 1983.

The author has in recent years exhibited his Works on various individual shows

1997 – Gutten Tag, Frau Koppl, Trnava, Gallery of J. Koniarek 1999 – Powdered Water, the State Gallery in Banská Bystrica 2000 – Powdered Painting, Cik-Cak Centrum, Bratislava 2001 – Geld macht frei, Vojtech Löffler Museum Košice 2002 – Mária and Blažej Baláž / The Discreet Charm of the Painting, České Budějovice,House of Art (CZ)

Blazej Balaz - Geld macht Kunst
Kurator: Jiri Valoch