Tamás Mike's paintings

“It’s been almost four years since I presented my airbrushed, photorealist-style still lifes at the kArton Gallery. Since then, only the theme has changed, the style has remained the same – if anything, I have become ever more dedicated to it. I have been working with the airbrush practically on a daily basis for almost twenty years.

During this time, I have learned to paint with it like one paints with a paintbrush. The photorealist style more or less followed naturally from the use of spray paint. Artists that feel comfortable with this graphic technique can produce photo-like components relatively easily and with spectacular results. One of the most difficult parts about realising the present exhibition was selecting the appropriate theme. There was no doubt that, after the last still life series, I wanted to immerse myself in a different thematic. In addition to graphics, I also work with photography. We reviewed and ruled out hundreds of photos for various reasons before the conceptual line, which is now shown on the walls by the working title “Urban Ruins”, came into existence.

Here, I had the chance to apply the skill I had acquired and cultivated in the past few decades. Even with such relatively large size, there were some images composed of extremely fine and nuanced details. Spray painting these often took weeks, which I regarded more as a challenge than a difficulty. I had learned a lot by the time the paintings on the walls were completed, as previously, I had preferred soft forms and spraying the blurred details of a painting. These almost “lend themselves naturally” to the airbrush technique. In the paintings featured at the current exhibition we scarcely see this kind of thing. Resolutely drawn components dominate, which is not really in line with the airbrush style. This was the challenge I have had to grapple with in the few years that I have worked on these pieces. I don’t yet know in which direction I will continue my work, but I am driven by the motivation to continue, with the hopes that I will be able to present the results of my successive endeavours as well.”