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23/7/2009

Matus Lanyi

sic! Raum fur Kunst, Luzern

curated by by Viera Kucera & Lydia Pribisova

On Friday July 24 at sic! Raum für Kunst at 7.00 p.m. the first solo show in Switzerland of the young Slovak artist Matúš Lányi will be presented. His exhibition Narratives consists of four video projections realized during the period 2005 – 2009.

Matus Lanyi deconstructs various global cultural and social contexts, starting points for his projects are usually on the one hand the religious themes, New Testament, Christian iconography, on the other hand the other standardized principles of global society as computer games or design of the operating system Windows, inserted in the rustic, bucolic and authentic ambient. He doesn’t aspire to simply and literally translate and visually reconstruct selected stories from the Bible. Using citations, he brakes down the classical stereotypes of iconographic presentation of Christian motifs, deprives the traditional stories of their primary theological meaning. He substitutes religious context with new qualitative elements.

The work Apocalypse (2005) reflects the story from the Apocalypse of St. John which describes the end of the world. The transcendental will of the God is symbolized by irrational movement of cursors. The tragic event is represented by easy possibility of laconic, non sentimental influence on the destinies of the protagonists. Lanyi compares the rules of human social system, its hierarchy and mechanism with the functions of digital system, where byte could have the same importance (unit of system) as a human being.

The work Mother (2005) refers to the ambivalent character of the goodness protection. The monstrous flying sculpture of the Madonna haunts the protagonist, young guy, in the forests in the mountain, she does not seem to protect him, but spies him in the way of Big Brother.The strange atmosphere and mountain landscape suggest also cosmic connections.

In Kill Folk (2006) Lanyi mixed the archetypal elements from old popular myths and classical fairytales with the montage and adaptations evoking computer games, B – movies, films about samurais etc. He puts in contrast bucolic ambient, old legend – like story where the good wins and the evil is punished with the reference to the globalized consumer society. In this sense, the music plays the important role too.

In the video Jesus cleanses the temple (2009) Lányi literally realized the command „measure the temple, altar and who worships there“. The artist physically measured the plan of the temple (plan of Cathedral of Chartres), but in profane context, in the football playground. The drawing on the ground is allusion to demarcation of the play area where the participants are lead by play rules. The situation of the message of biblical story in the sport playground is not just only making a link between the function of both places but also the fusion of two different social rituals.

Matúš Lányi was born in 1981 in Spisske Podhradie in Slovak Republic where he lives and works. His works have been presented in solo shows in Nové Zamky /SK, 2009 /, in Bratislava / SK, 2007/ and in Kosice /SK, 2006/. He has participated in the group shows in Valentina Moncada Gallery in Rome /2008/, in Karlin Studios in Prague /2008/ in Open Space - Zentrum für Kunstprojekte in Vienna /2008/, in the Museum of Contemporary Arts of Andy Warhol in Medzilaborce /SK, 2007/ in SPACE Gallery in Bratislava /SK, 2007/, in the Scooter, Biennial of contemporary Slovak art in Jan Koniarek Gallery, Trnava /SK, 2007/, in Prague Biennale in Karlin hall, Prague / 2007/, in Musee d´Art Moderne de Saint-Etienne / FR, 2007/ and many others.

Opening: 24th of July at 7.00 p.m.

sic! Raum fur Kunst
Baselstrasse 72 - Luzern
every Saturday 2-7

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