Kinga Bartis Romania, 1984

Kinga Bartis’ approach to painting lies outside the boundaries of the classic school of the medium. Eschewing labels, Bartis envisions painting as a means of breaking free from the habitual relationship of defining and redefining of our existence—Bartis choose to instead look towards a more multidisciplinary and open approach.

This approach can also be seen in Kinga Bartis’ technique and composition. Traditionally defined relationships or perceived hierarchies between foreground and background are set aside. Repeating imagery of bodies, figures, plants, natural elements and landscapes combine to reflect the realties of a shifting world. Often blending one into the other, the resulting ambiguity provides a backdrop for the aforementioned characters to ebb and flow, almost moving subtly on the canvas, revealing themselves organically.

Reoccurring themes of sexuality, power structures, the body and self-perception can be felt through these motions as they pulsate towards us. Their presence does not suggest a direction that Kinga Bartis’ wishes us to go in, but rather a mood or a feeling, a platform through which discussions are encouraged.

Kinga Bartis (b. 1984, Transylvania) lives and works in Copenhagen. Bartis graduated with an MFA from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2018. Bartis has been exhibited at Museet for Religiøs Kunst (Lemvig), Rønnebæksholm (Næstved) OK CORRAL (Copenhagen) among others. In 2022, Bartis opened a solo exhibition at TRANEN Space for Contemporary Art (Gentofte).