Katalin Petschner-Pető

MA Fine Art

Katalin Petschner-Peto (34) is an international artist originated from Hungary. She graduated as a pharmacist in 2010 and then completed her MA Fine Art course at ARU in 2020. Her pharmaceutical background gives her a technical viewpoint that when combined with the freedom of artistic expression allows for the creation of something that is both exacting and exhilarating. She often uses medical imaging as inspiration and represents her subjects through natural patterns.

Her current series Inner Patterns explores the paths of self-investigation and the characteristics and difficulties of those paths. Three pathways have been developed and exhibited in 2020. Each of them was organized in their own concept and integrity. All of the subprojects shared only one character, white patterns on black background created by gesture painting. However, every other aspect, like materials, sizes, exhibition places and methods, were different.

The first exhibition at Semmelweis University introduced the Analytical pathway. This represented a self-investigation method that takes place within a structured framework consciously created by people. The vast room, the artificial lights and silence all contributed to the artificial feeling. Here the works were secondary images, kind of prints of the originals and only details of them, engravings cut into Petri dishes were displayed.

The second path symbolized Introspection and was exhibited in the Szemlő-hegyi cave. The works, black tulle with white paint, were hung in a completely dark space. These were the originals of the works previously exhibited in Petri dishes. The visitors could “discover” the works by walking among them and by illuminating them. This involved the spectators and symbolised the active actions, as introspection is indeed an active process.

The third work was an 11m long painting presented as part of a rock climbing performance. The performance was a metaphor of a Challenge, a trial. It was held in a quarry, which represented a contrast to the cave with the outdoor space and upward orientation. This harmonized with the idea that challenges usually have specific goals, orientations. The active process, what leads to better self-knowledge, and the static image that symbolized the result were simultaneously present at the event.

As the series were site-specific, the works and the exhibitions have been carefully documented. The body of the work displayed on the MA Showcase is a selection of the more than 800 pictures and videos that have been taken.

Medium

Analytical Path:
Sizes: canvas 200 x 150 cm each (3 pieces)
Diameter of Petri dishes: 10, 15, 18 cm (75 pieces)
Materials: white lino printing ink on black paper, Petri dishes black cotton canvas

Introspection:
Size: 200 x 75 cm each (20 pieces)
Materials: white lino printing ink on black tulle textile
Installation materials: poster rails, garden wire, fishing line

Challenge:
Size: 11 x 1.5 m
Materials: white oil paint on black cotton canvas
Installation materials: wood rod, climbing ropes, fix stand 

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