KristofLab lives and works in Budapest. The Hungarian artist use the term KristofLab as a kind of brand referring to his interdisciplinary and media art activities. He graduated from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts with a degree in graphic arts and as a teacher of fine arts.
How did you get into art?
I was interested in art from a young age, so I studied in that direction. In the few years after university I found my true voice.I started to explore the Budapest underground scene - making visual projections for techno parties - and as a result I started to experiment with the possibilities of digital mediums. The aesthetics of error began to interest me and my colour world was transformed by the RGB (red, green, blue) colour mixing method used on digital devices.
How would you describe your style? What makes your work special?
I use the principle of glitch art, mixing it with hardedge direction to create a fusion of digital art and traditional painting. I mix these in a kind of deconstruction and paint my images using a method of image formation that evokes collage techniques. Furthermore, I use New Media Art tools such as microelectronics, video manipulation and programming mainly in my installations.
How do you go about developing your work?
I use photographs I have taken on my travels, first making many digital sketches. I blend failed jpg files with the photos and create a digital collage of several layers using different colour effects to create an image that evokes RGB colours. create paintings on the base of the digital image, using masking to create shapes and further reducing them in the process. The images created through a multi-step process, express a subjective interpretation of our image of reality. Overall, the photograph as a starting point goes through a process of abstraction.
Who or what influences you?
Before university, I was influenced by Impressionism, and my love of colour and the theme of the landscape has been with me ever since, as I paint urban landscapes. Electronic music and digital technologies have also had a big influence on me, its fragmented pace, its artificiality and the possibilities offered by new media. And when I create, I am influenced by, current events, social conditions and significant events, such as ecological problems, war or alienation.
Make us curious. What is planned next?
I have just started experimenting with the form and materials of my paintings. I create polygonal paintings using digital printing or other media, pushing the boundaries of painting, creating a physically fragmented image that reflects the deconstruction that comes from my unconventional method. Also in the autumn, a group exhibition with young emerging from Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary artists is planned to present a new perspective on landscape painting.
