Not rose spritz

2024-09-19 - 2024-10-12

Bakáts Bunker

kedd, szerda, csütörtök, péntek, szombat 15:00–18:00 vasárnap, hétfő Zárva

Description:

Not Rosé Spritzer – Exhibition by Krisztina Hollai Bakáts Bunker Gallery | September 19 – October 12, 2024 Opening: September 19, 19:00 Opened by: Zopán Nagy, photographer and poet Address :Budapest, Bakáts Square 1, 1092 Opening Hours: Thursday 15:00–18:00 Friday 15:00–18:00 Saturday 15:00–18:00 Sunday Closed Monday Closed Tuesday 15:00–18:00 Wednesday 15:00–18:00 Artist's Resume for the Exhibition "Not Rosé Spritzer" "I stood beneath the rose in the Sub Rosa room of the Sárospatak Castle and wondered: is this an accessible mystery even today? In the past, this enigmatic place was well known, part of collective knowledge. I became interested in what meanings the rose holds. At first glance, it may seem relevant: archetypal beauty, love. But its most exciting meanings lie beneath the surface. Tracing back to the first species of rose, it becomes clear that the wild rose is native to the sunny Mediterranean region, and its symbolism is embedded there. On Crete, as early as 1900-1700 BC, there is known a depiction of a rose in the 'Blue Bird Fresco,' which was likely interpreted symbolically. Searching for the ultimate mystery of 'roseness,' I realized that it is almost impossible to find. The symbol has continuously changed and adapted to the cultural and social contexts of various eras. Umberto Eco articulated this well: '... the rose, as a symbolic image, has so many meanings that it almost means nothing at all...' I was particularly interested in the mythical dimension of the feminine essence of the rose. For female artists, the rose is a powerful narrative. Rewriting old meanings emphasizes the new identity of modern women, no longer defined by men. The most ancient aspects of the many-faced flower's symbolism must be sought in the era of fertility goddesses, where the relevant themes were spring, fertility, sexuality, and the renewal of life. These were dichotomous goddesses, both virgins and seductresses, like Aphrodite, Ishtar, or Magna Mater. Fertility rites and the significance of female blood were present in many cultures. The connection between the red color of the rose and menstrual blood likely made the rose a symbol of womanhood and fertility. This was especially true in the Mediterranean region, where fertility goddesses and the rose cult played significant roles simultaneously. The rose became deeply embedded in the world of myths and religious rites here. A playful version of this myth is depicted in Botticelli’s painting "The Birth of Venus" (1482-1485), where the white foam, like white roses, refers to both virginity and fertility. In medieval Christian symbolism, the ancient fertility and sexual aspects of the rose were also preserved. The dichotomy of the virgin and seductress seen in early fertility goddesses took on new form in the 'rose and thorn' analogy. In this narrative, the rose of the Garden of Eden was thornless and white, while after the Fall, it became thorny and red. Saint Bernard summarized this: 'Eva spina, Maria Rosa' (Eve is the thorn, Mary the rose). For a time, Mary became the 'Queen of Roses.' The western façade of cathedrals became Mary's symbolic space, often decorated with a rose window or a rose bush in front of the entrance. In some cases, the location of churches was foretold by rose bushes, indicating the connection between natural elements and religious symbols during the Scholastic period. This is well represented in paintings of 'Mary in the Rose Arbor.' The rose arbor, as a rose garden, also evokes the alchemical Philosophers’ Rose Garden, the Rosarium Philosophorum, where the soul undergoes transmutation. I assume that due to its association with fertility, the rose also became a symbol of abundance and wealth. Its depiction was considered a good omen, promoting abundant harvests and, in some cases, spiritual development. Perhaps it was the aspect of abundance and wealth that gave the rose its status as a symbol of luxury. The Persian tradition of spreading rose petals, rose beds, and showers of petals became popular in Rome. Nero’s famous Domus Aurea palace even had a mechanism for showering petals. This tradition persists today in weddings, Valentine’s Day, and parties, with rose petal scattering and rose petal cannons. I was particularly interested in the societal associations of the rose, such as freedom and democracy. In early societies’ myths, blood symbolized the feminine, but in Roman culture, it became a symbol of military virtue and masculine heroism. The shields of Scipio’s African army were adorned with roses, and brave men were crowned with rose wreaths. Christian martyrs offered their 'rose-blood' in sacrifice, and the wounds of Christ were represented by rose metaphors. Enlightenment movements also used the rose as a symbol, and in revolutions, people wore the cockade (a rose) to symbolize 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.' On Che Guevara’s beret, the rose became a symbol of the Cuban revolution and subsequent leftist movements. Joseph Beuys reflected on this rose tradition with his performance artwork, 'Rose for Direct Democracy' (1973), providing a platform, with a single red rose, for sharing transformative societal ideas. The rose’s most exciting symbolic meaning is perhaps light, which intrigued me the most. The connection between the rose and light is simple: the plant requires a lot of light. This explains its close association with the sun cults and deities of the Mediterranean. Many traditions preserve this, such as the 'rosy-fingered' Eos, who brought the light of the awakening day. Or her brother Helios, who oversaw the course of the sun until sunset. A colossus was erected in his honor in Rhodes, and coins were minted with a rose on one side and Helios on the other. In the Middle Ages, the rose, as a symbol of light, was integrated into cosmological concepts. In Dante’s 'Divine Comedy,' the 'cosmic rose' represents the white rose of paradise. The petals of the Empyrean formed concentric circles, each petal seating a saint, with the white color symbolizing purity and divine light. The concept of light also connects to the significant and exciting idea of sub rosa in rose mysticism. Originating in antiquity, rose depictions, rosettes, and friezes at Bacchanalia symbolized that the space was suitable for intimate situations, orgies, or feasts, as what happened there 'under the rose' remained a secret. Without imagery, a single rose in a vase could define a space for secrets. The god of secrecy was Harpocrates, who, according to a playful legend, was bribed by Cupid with a rose to keep quiet about Venus’s love affairs. Harpocrates was the child of Helios and Selene, the Sun and Moon, recalling the myth of Isis and Osiris with their child Horus. The fusion of Egyptian mythology and Greek interpretation gave rise to the intriguing figure of Harpocrates. In Egyptian depictions, the child Horus was shown naked and bald, sucking his finger—a gesture that the Greeks interpreted as a sign of secrecy. The Egyptian name 'Hór-pa-hred' ('Horus the child') became Hellenized as Harpocrates. Finally, the phrase 'sub rosa' required one more misinterpretation: the lotus flower on Horus’s head, unknown at the time, was mistaken for a rose. Thus, the myth of the god of secrets took shape. Sub rosa survived in church symbolism on confessionals, while secular 'sub rosa' places are also known, such as Hever Castle in England or the Sárospatak Castle. The concept of sub rosa reached even more mystical places in the Renaissance and early modern periods, integrated into the iconography of many secret societies, such as Freemasonry or the Rosicrucian movement. The rose’s alchemical codes were also significant. The red rose symbolized the sun (sulfur), spirit, and the active principle of masculinity, while the white rose represented the moon (salt), soul, and the receptive principle of femininity. The union of the white and red rose symbolized the birth of the Philosopher’s Child (Mercury). I was also struck by Cesare Ripa’s idea in his book 'Iconologia,' where he writes that the rose symbolizes aging, transience, and death. The beauty of the rose is short-lived, and after a few days, it begins to decay, with the wheel of time turning, representing the cycle of blooming and withering, life and death. The role of the rose in memento mori and vanitas paintings reinforces this meaning. I don’t wish to close my reflections on the symbol with the thought of death, nor do I need to, as the rose also represents rebirth. I now present my new works focusing on the symbol of the rose at Bakáts Bunker. I hope that the exhibition’s world of secret flowers can serve as a guide for discovering new intellectual paths or spark conversation on a September evening over a rosé spritzer here at Bakáts Square." – Krisztina Hollai List of Exhibited Works: Not Rosé Spritzer installation (2 wooden planks 38x14, test tube, artificial rose, thread) Rose Arbor installation (2024, rose arbor, painting canvas frieze, nylon strips, fan, 200x130) Now (2024, mixed media, components, key, screw, artificial petal, neon, 100x100) Free (2024, mixed media, components, key, screw, artificial petal, neon, 100x100) Here (2024, mixed media, components, key, screw, artificial petal, neon, 100x100) Rose Genesis - Water (2024, mixed media, artificial rose, canvas, 234x72) Hermetic Harpocrates (2023, mixed media, canvas, 234x72) Rose Genesis - Blood (2024, mixed media, artificial rose, 234x72) 9. Rosicrucian Cross (2024, mixed media, screw, clock, computer key, 100x70) Hommage à Joachim Candler (2022, mixed media, bell, 75x58) Venus in James Turrell’s Skyspace (2024, mixed media, ceramic, artificial rose, 100x100) Venus in Aqua (2024, mixed media, ceramic, artificial rose, 100x70) Venus in Sanguis (2024, mixed media, ceramic, artificial rose, 100x80) Standing Venus (2024, mixed media, ceramic, artificial rose, 70x50) Venus Regina Alba** (2024, mixed media, ceramic, artificial rose, 70x50) Venus Sub Rosa(2024, mixed media, ceramic, artificial rose, 70x50) Winged Rose(2024, mixed media, artificial rose, 40x30) Rose and Thorn (2024, mixed media, artificial rose, cone stud, 25x25) Hommage à Joachim Candler No. 2 (2022, mixed media, bell, artificial rose, 120x100) Madonna with Chalice (2022, mixed media, ceramic, 100x80) Madonna with Plumb Line (2022, mixed media, chain, 100x80) Sub Rosa No. 6 (2022, mixed media, raku ceramic, grandmother’s broken cup, 120x100) 23. Postcard to the Wise Owl (2019-22, mixed media, compass, cogwheel, spring, screw, 100x100) 24. Postcard to the Rooster No. 2 (2023, mixed media, cogwheel, screw, key, components, 100x80) 25. Sub Rosa Saturation (2022, mixed media, artificial rose, components, 5 pcs. 40x15) The White Queen’s Throne (2024, artificial rose, computer parts, ceramic tiles, clock, 70x75x80) Plumb Line Installation (2024, ceramic) Sub Rosa Audio Installation (2023, 125x125, brick, pipe, artificial rose) Rose and Thorn No. 2 (2024, mixed media, artificial rose, cone stud, 20x20) Postcard to a Herma (2021, mixed media, mosaic, stamp, 20x20) Rosa (2024, mixed media, artificial rose, mosaic, 20x20) Sub (2024, mixed media, artificial rose, mosaic, 20x20) Thorn (2024, mixed media, ceramic, cone stud, 20x20) Rooster (2024, mixed media, components, mosaic, 20x20) Chalice on Mosaic Floor (2018, mixed media, mirror, 20x20) Glastonbury (2022, mixed media, mosaic, stamp, ceramic, mirror, 20x20) Persona No. 15 (2020, mixed media, components, key, mosaic, 20x20) Montsalvat (2022, mixed media, ceramic, mirror, mosaic, stamp, 20x20) Montsegur (2022, mixed media, mosaic, ceramic, mirror, 20x20) Corbenic (2022, mixed media, ceramic, mirror, stamp, 20x20) Chalice and Time (2020, mixed media, components, clock, mosaic, 20x20) 4 Gates (2016, ceramic, 20x20) Postcard to F.M. (2018, mixed media, stamp, chain, 20x20) Postcard to the Rooster (2023, mixed media, components, stamp, 20x20) Price inquiries for the works can be made through the artist’s representing gallery. **FREYLER ART GALLERY** Budapest, Hajós Street 14 +36704251118 F. Tóth Zoltán, Gallery Owner More about the artist: [https://www.instagram.com/hollai.krisztina/](https://www.instagram.com/hollai.krisztina/) [https://www.webgaleria.hu/Hollai Krisztina](https://www.webgaleria.hu/Hollai%20Krisztina) Graphics: Vivien Réka Bak Organizer:Lola Pusztai