Kókay Krisztina (Esztergom, 2005)
JUDIT JÓRY Lines, words, sentences, emotions, messages Krisztina Kókay's exhibition in Esztergom Ferenczy Noémi Prize winner textile and graphic artist Krisztina Kókay's exhibition has opened at the Balassa Bálint Museum in Esztergom. The large room of Old County House is "covered" with sackcloth. This self-colored, homogeneous "base" serves as a perfect background for the objects created from letters of an extreme size, the colorful murals and the very sensitively executed black-and-white black-lead drawings. A point of interest concerning the 14 meticulous drawings above their conceptual solutions is the use of sharp pointed pencils of different hardness, from 3H to 5H. Motifs of vegetation, plants and gardens strike the viewer's eyes first, but man-made walls and towers as well as canopies of heaven also appear on the snow-white sheets, lofty Castle, an Esztergom reminiscence, stands out from the series of drawings. The subtle Balassi portrait, the likeness of "the soldier of God" dying in Esztergom, merits a special mention. The face is meticulously executed, while the minutely detailed pelisse clasp and the ornamentally rich piece of damask evoke the era. This "Drawing" might inspire new thoughts and start new dialogues about the dilemma and importance of representation and re-representation. One of the huge linen objects, mantle forms, mantle shapes, quotes fragments of literature. The significance of literary texts is well known. The artist, the graphic artist is copying the familiar or less familiar lines with artistic humbleness. (Zsuzsanna Erdélyi's, Bálint Balassi's, Sándor Márai's ideas appear, can be read in these works.) In the metamorphosis and transformation of literary values, the letters, words, sentences, the "lines" are translated into a work of visual art. The picture of hand-"written" letters has a calligraphic quality and the sea of words creates a strange effect. The alteration of monotony, the self-oblivious or almost tiresome state of copying and the more exciting stages of work can be traced through the alternately darkening and fading dense rows of words. The surface is decorated with letters, embellished with writing. After the thoughts of the famous writers, we might quote Krisztina Kókay herself: "My lines are words, sentences, emotions... messages..." The exhibition was opened by Mária Prokopp, Ph.D., teacher at the ELTE Art History Institute. Her analytic opening speech touched upon many an interesting idea. The opening speech of violinist Margit Komárominé Homor added to the lustre of the Esztergom exhibition, across the "Convent Church". Krisztina Kókay, as is generally known, is a citizen of our district. Her works will be exhibited at the Hegyvidék Gallery of Contemporary Artists this fall. HIGHLAND, 2001
