Makkai-Kovács Beatrix
She graduated from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in 2011, and since then her work has been exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions both at home and abroad.
She grew up in a multi-generational family of artists, her mother is a textile artist, her father is a designer, and her grandmother was also a student of Szőnyi at the College. In 2016 she was awarded the Barcsay Prize, and in 2017 she was a fellow of the Hungarian Academy of Rome. In 2023, she was listed in the annual publication of the kArtc Association as one of the 4 most talented young artists. In her works, we can discover in the water-beard fragments the solitary traces of the experience of time. The paintings abandon any desire for representation or naturalism, the colours and landscapes that transcend the canvas dissolve into a world without substance. The paintings make us pause for a moment and give us an insight into the personal secrets every human needs. The dialogue and communication are not only between the image and the viewer, but the works of art are a mirror to the viewer, who is forced to “remember”, to slow down, to reflect.
About the objects
Pause
Beatrix Makkai-Kovács creates her paintings using acrylic techniques. While the method is fast, the maturation of the works took a long time. These pieces require prolonged contemplation and also deal with the arc of time. During the painting of the series, the artist noticed that each title is somehow connected to time: “Fragile Moment”, “Only for a Short While”, or even “Pause”. For her, each painting represents a connection to an inner, meditative state, a memory of a moment. Time shapes and transforms our spaces as we delve deeper and deeper into the layers of ourselves.
Fragile moment
For her, painting – beyond self-expression – is a place and tool for relaxation, her own “safe space.” After becoming a mother in 2018, and with her focused studio work only resuming years later, she tried to be patient with herself, as she wanted to express so much at once through the language of painting. Time, which became increasingly important to her, also grew more limited. Both creating and absorbing the paintings require a depth of focus, which takes time. But time is relative!
Details at dawn
The aim is to present personal layers inspired by nature, to tell abstract stories, to depict a meditative state, and to evoke the glimmer of a possible memory – all while engaging the viewer’s time. The paintings require time to form a connection, as the artist does not intend to create something quickly consumable; this is very important to her.
