Ilona Keserü's London debut showcases Hungarian neo-avant-garde abstraction

Ilona Keserü's first solo exhibition in London at Stephen Friedman Gallery ran from 23 March to 21 April 2018, presenting works from the 1960s to 1980s. The Hungarian neo-avant-garde artist, active during the Communist era of the 1960s and 70s, demonstrates a heterogeneous approach distinct from Western Conceptual art narratives. Her practice features a recurring undulating line motif derived from heart-shaped headstones in Balatonudvari, Hungary, connecting modernist experimentation with folk traditions. Works like Double Form 3 (1972) use crimped fabric layers on canvas to create rolling color bands, while silkscreen series from 1976 employ wavy stripes resembling skeletal forms. Later pieces like Forming Space (1981) extend curves to create rounded areas suggesting bodily diagrams. Keserü's palette emphasizes fleshy pinks, reds, and oranges, creating corporeal associations that contrast with the motif's funerary origins. Sculptural works from 1970 use string tangles as intestinal metaphors in glass bottles and columns, while early collages like Television (1965) depict TV sets as skull-like forms. Paintings with rainbow gradients and hexagonal blocks contrast vibrant hues with skin-toned backgrounds, exploring tensions between art's splendor and bodily impermanence. The exhibition highlights Hungary's experimental art scene under repressive regimes, gaining recent international attention as a parallel to Western developments.