USA Diary Exhibition

Exhibition duration: 10th of September 2020 – 30th of October 2020
Inda Gallery, Budapest, HU
Photos: Zsuzsanna Simon

In a grand exhibition titled USA Diary, magnificent installations of large woodblocks and their prints took up the spaces of INDA Gallery wall to wall as Gábor Koós presented the memories of his recent road trip on the US West Coast.

Re-interpreting the traditional technique of woodblock printing and presenting the large blocks (or rather sculptural objects) and their prints together as unique units, Koós reflects on the artistic tradition, the medium, printing, image making, and also on our perception and consumption of images (also as artworks) in general at the same time. This way, the traditional technique acquires a very contemporary, conceptual aspect.

As regards to the prints in the exhibition, Koós mentioned two key experiences as his source of inspiration for the artworks, also defining the composition of three installations, one in each room of the gallery. One of these experiences was the dimensions of the American continents, the magnitudes of the constructed and natural spaces, an order larger than those one is used to in Europe. The other dominant experience was racism, which Koós saw as ubiquitous.

Technique and method

In two exhibition rooms reflecting on space on the American continent, Koós consistently used his signature technique and method. Woodblocks and their prints were presented as unique pairs, in a structure that differs from any of his previous arrangements as dictated by the theme: giant sequoias and Los Angeles skyscrapers arch over, looking down at the spectator. In the third room, memories of an actual situation the artist had experienced appeared in unique CMYK nitro transfer prints on the walls. The tiny transitions in color from one print to the next presented the differences between the shades of brown skin that are ever so small, yet they inescapably define identity.

Using the visual diary as a tool to handle new situations and environments, to discover and make home in an unfamiliar space, and to record impressions during these processes was also a continuation of Koós’s earlier practice, carrying the method of his Glasgow Diary (2010) and Budapest Diary (2013–2016) to a next stage.