Tamas Szvet

Csongard, Hungary
Residency: July – August 2015

Project Description:
Working at Utica was really nice, and productive. During the residency I have created an outdoor light sculpture especially for the new community garden. I conceived of this piece as a reflection on nature and the act of creation. The sign is in the shape of an arrow, pointing to the sky and stars — its height draws awareness to the public space of the garden; the solar cells highlight ideas of sustainability and nature as giver of life.  Another work I made during the Residency uses tyre and light together. I have seen so many of tyres thrown away around the city. Worn tires can be recycled by processing them into other products such as asphalt. So in this way the wheel could became the road itself. In the installation, the tyres project the road on the wall and around the space.

About the Artist:
Tamás Szvet (Gyula / Hungary) graduated from the department of sculpture the Hungarian University of Fine Arts (MKE) in 2007. In 2009 he began an artistic research course at the Doctoral School of MKE, which he continued in the Research Institute of the University of Amsterdam and the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in the Netherlands. His work has been exhibited at numerous international venues and he has participated in artist residencies in Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Finland, France, South Korea and Japan. He won the Junior Prima Prize in 2008, and the Talentum Prize – founded by the Hungarian Academy of Science in 2010. He is represented by VILTIN Gallery in Budapest. 

Artist Statement:
The relationship between science and art, and technology and culture assume a crucial role in my activity. I investigate the human perception, memory, and our relation to time and space. 

Traditional and new media techniques intermingle in the artistic process. I work mainly on site-specific projects, with ideas based on engagements with places and communities. In my works, everyday objects transform into interface to show other dimensions of existence. 

My research – artistic and scholarly – deals with experiencing, rediscovering and reinterpreting different phenomena. I am inspirited by science, technology and their possibilities. I especially interested in the rule of the artist, who – by constantly analyzing everything – represents a different point of view. What else could be my own rule in this process, if I wouldn’t try to share my experiences? My aim is to become a key in unlocking the door of mysterious possibilities and rich experiences.