Róbert Batykó: the synthesis of the digital and the analog

At Art Rotterdam, acb Gallery from Budapest will presents the work of Hungarian artist Róbert Batykó in the New Art Section. There, the artist will exhibit his latest series of oil paintings and collages, some of which he created during a residency program in gastatelier Doc4 in Haarlem.

In his practice, Róbert Batykó blends traditional techniques with digital influences. His style is characterised by the mechanical scraping of paint over the canvas in the final stage of the process, resulting in an ultra-thin layer of paint. For this, the artist uses a self-built machine, a combination of a press and a blade. He'll find himself surprised by the final outcome, over which he has only partial control.

Batykó's practice lies at the intersection of abstraction and realism, between the digital and the physical. He transforms digital images into often large-scale paintings, that are occasionally reminiscent of software interfaces. The artist utilises found objects such as packaging materials, old VHS tapes and magazines, as well as step-by-step illustrations from vector drawing manuals. He is particularly interested in shapes and transforms these materials by removing them from their original context. For this part of the process, he uses stencils and cutting plotters.

The resulting compositions sometimes appear strange and somewhat surreal, yet they are generally also quite recognisable. The figures in his latest works are not human, but seem to possess anthropomorphic qualities nonetheless. They have a certain degree of abstraction but are, at the same time, clearly figurative. This gives viewers the freedom to offer their own interpretations.

The artist's practice is informed by themes such as our consumer culture — and its visual appeal —, the production and manipulation of digital images and the so-called ‘technological subconscious’.

Batykó obtained a Master’s degree in Painting at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest, followed by a DLA (Doctor of Liberal Arts) program at the University of Pécs. His work has been included in the collections of the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria) and the contemporary Ludwig Museum in Budapest. In 2022, his work was featured in a group exhibition at MODEM (Centre for Modern and Contemporary Arts) in the Hungarian city of Debrecen. He received several awards, including a Strabag Art Award (2007), a Leopold Bloom Art Award (2011) and a Hungary Emerging Prize (2018). The artist has lived and worked in the Netherlands for several years.

The work of Róbert Batykó will be on display in the New Art Section during Art Rotterdam, presented by acb Gallery from Budapest.

Written by Flor Linckens