JÓZSEF CSATÓ’S ABSTRACT SET OF RULES

József Csató in his studio. Courtesy of the artist and Galleri Urbane.

Galleri Urbane introduces the Hungarian painter to US audiences.

INTERVIEW BY LILIA KUDELIA

rawing from his “sketchbook mythologies,” József Csató D unites art-historical references with a visual language orbiting around nature, “marvelous creatures,” and humor with the hand of a surrealist. Galleri Urbane represents Csató and mounted a solo show for the artist in September, included his work in their Dallas Art Fair booth in November, and donated a work to the TWO x TWO for AIDS and Art 2021 auction. Other recent shows include Semiose Paris and Gallerie Krinzinger, which exhibited Csató at FIAC Paris. His editioned book launches next month with an essay by Lilia Kudelia, who caught up with the artist here:

Lilia Kudelia (LK): What are the first few things you normally do at the studio to get ready to create? József Csató (JC): I have to change my clothes immediately, no sitting around, no rest. The next thing is to choose the right drawing I want to work with. It is hard to predict which one is good enough to develop into a painting. If I am lucky, I have prepared my new canvas on the wall the day before so I can start working. I stretch my canvas to the wall at the first phase of the painting because I do a lot of scraping with different tools. This way the texture of the wall sometimes appears on the canvas like a frottage. There is something magical seeing these textures in other spaces, like a gallery for example. It feels like it has also teleported the air from my studio. LK: I have seen lots of animated faces and cavernous shapes in your paintings lately. What ideas do you seek to convey through these motifs? JC: I mix, match, and often repeat elements on my paintings: shapes of plants, hybrid figures resembling geometric shapes, tubes, drops, tiles, and purely fictional signs appear and reappear. I like mixing still life parts with body parts. Figurative and nonfigurative elements. I like the excitement of rendering a kind of semifigurative painting into an abstract set of rules. I would like to melt past and present together. I look for the ways that show us a world where our suffering, anxiety, everyday feelings, and the ability to reflect about it in a simple and sometimes funny way can have one shared platform. LK: The contents of your children’s pencil cases apparently impact your choices in the studio—particularly, your daily drawing practice. What are the kids challenging you to explore now? JC: Ha-ha, yes. Their supplies are not really changing, maybe it is just me seeking new adventures with the different crayons, colored pencils, etc. At the moment I am in love with water brushes, but all these treats have meanings only in my drawings. Changing techniques is important in my process, helps to keep a fresh eye and attitude, which is the most important thing about art for me—not to be bored, or not working from routine. In my vocabulary, the opposite of the word “art” is “boring.” LK: What are the most ungraspable or challenging aspects of your paintings when it comes to photographing and looking at them on the screen? JC: People are surprised by the real-life scale of the paintings sometimes, which are bigger than expected. The other thing I would mention is the surface, which sometimes reminds me of frescos; this matte and dry quality is hard to catch from a shiny screen. And the tiny paint freckles, of course. Most of the artworks have an aura of working energy, which also comes with certain scents. This is missing as well. Sometimes when I see my own painting on a screen, I can recall the smell from the studio. LK: Is there a specific scale that feels particularly appropriate for your paintings at this time? JC: In general I prefer working on a bigger scale; that is where my gestures feel more natural. Another advantage is the ability to get lost in a painting, when you can be too close and then “come out” of it and see the big picture. This walking in and out process is exciting to me. On the other hand, I hate waste, and I always have some leftover small-sized canvas hanging around my studio. I started making puzzle-like bigger paintings with these scraps; I am having real fun with them. LK: What period in the history of art of your country interests you most? JC: After World War II, there was a short period in Hungarian art history called the European School (1945-1948). It included artists like Dezső Korniss, Endre Bálint, Margit Anna, Ernő Kállai, and others. It was a strange mix of very different artistic approaches containing bioromanticism, nonfigurative, and even surreal elements. Every artist had their own way of looking at that hard period in the world. LK: What is on your mind map for the upcoming solo show in Dallas in September 2022? JC: I know it will be here sooner than it feels [right] now. The fact that I have almost a year to prepare makes me feel comfortable and easy, ha-ha. I won’t do a spoiler for the show, but it will have something to do with prehistory. I am looking forward to having my second solo show in Dallas with Galleri Urbane, and I hope this time I can be there. It would be great to meet their amazing crew in person finally, and to enjoy Dallas! P