Nemes Csaba

Csaba Nemes (born 1966, Kisvárda, Hungary) lives and works in Budapest. After he tried a great deal of things in the nineties, his attention turned to current social issues and happenings of the Hungarian public life. In his works he tries to highlight those problems and questions which permanently generate pressure in the society such as racism, ethnic conflicts which often turn violent, or the recruitment of the radical political right in public as well as everyday life.

He realises his ideas on paintings, storyboards, in animated films and in videos. He evokes the small details of the events to reproduce the complexity of the experiences. His works aim to give back an imprint of reality, but not to interpret it. Nemes leaves it to the viewer to piece the story together and draw the lesson. Beyond social and political issues he also reflects on historical past and his own personal past using the same documentarist approach to evoke and represent reminiscence.

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Csaba Nemes: Do not Forget Bunuel! (from the series of „Father’s Name: Csaba Nemes“), 2012, oil on canvas, 80X80 cm

Csaba Nemes: George-settlement, 2011, animation, 8 minutes

Csaba Nemes: Gipsy Family Next to their New House, (from the series of „Father’s Name: Csaba Nemes“), 2009, oil on canvas, 200x200 cm

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The jury's opinion >>>

Csaba Nemes is such an artist we feel practice is not only technically superb but emotionally intelligent and conceptually rigorous. While already simply an outstanding painter with many fascinating investigative series which he developed over time Nemes does not rest on his laurels - as it were - but rather pushes his practice in new and innovative ways choosing and utilising other media and technique when appropriate to the conceptual force of each project. Further his practice frequently gives voice and visibility to urgent and uncomfortable questions about the socio political situations in which Hungary finds itself today. We think this role and capacity of art to demands that the world should be different from its’ sometimes grimmer reality is an extraordinarily important one.