Ilona Keserü: Flow
Ilona Keserü’s retrospective, Flow, hosted by Muzeum Susch, showcases the works of one of Hungary’s most celebrated abstract artists. Spanning over 70 years, the exhibition delves into the recurring motifs and themes that have defined Keserü’s distinctive approach, blending European modernist trajectories with Baroque architecture and Hungarian folk traditions.
Keserü has been influenced by artists such as Maria Jarema, Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana, and Cy Twombly, while also drawing inspiration from folkloric textiles and the vibrant underskirts of her hometown, Pécs. Her hallmark use of colour explores relationships between the hues of human skin and rainbows, extending into concepts like infinite sequences (Möbius Strip) and Renaissance techniques (Cangiante) to transpose sound into visual form.
A pivotal discovery of heart-shaped Baroque tombstones in 1967 introduced a wave motif central to her practice, while her exploration of materials and techniques in the late 1960s highlighted themes of female identity and saw her pioneering sewing as an artistic medium. Her textile reliefs and canvas embossing became defining features of her oeuvre.
Marking her 91st birthday, Keserü’s most recent works, showcased in the exhibition’s final room, offer a powerful perspective on the retrospective as a whole.
Curated by Art Historian Mónika Zsikla, ‘Flow’ provides a compelling exploration of Keserü’s impactful career to date.
