The Stone of CRAZANNES - the material that has been used to build the Ch�teau de VERSAILLES, the base of the Statue de la Libert� in NEW YORK, and so many other monuments, this stone that has been transported, long times ago, by boat on the Charente River (maybe with some barrels of Cognac ? The city of Cognac is not so far !), this stone that, strangely, is not porous and even becomes and whiter all along time, this stone, now, has a new life : the royalty is no more in France (but there is still Cognac !), the quarrymen are gone and have let place to artists : the old quarry is now transformed as a sculpture garden, an open-air museum

Since 2000, a French artist, Alain TENENBAUM has opened “LES LAPIDIALES” (in Latin, “lapidis” means “stone”) to artists. This place is opened all year long but it is better to come between May and September: the residence program begins and during 5 months and you can meet artists from France and all over the world (Turkey, Russia, Zimbabwe, India) who come and work during some periods of two months. They work “in situ” according to one of the five themes of the site: water, the surface of the earth, the depths of the earth, the air, the fire.They work all day long, like quarrymen did before, but they have another aim: the transformation of stone into contemporary works of art.

It was in 2006 that Gadadhar OJHA, the only young Indian sculptor living in France, has heard the first time about the LAPIDIALES as he had participated to the 1st International Symposium of PEZENAS (in the South of France). 13 artists working on the unique theme “Message of the Body”, but amongst these artists at least 4 of them knew already the LAPIDIALES. And it was enough for Gadadhar OJHA to have the will, the desire to go and see how it was: working in an old quarry, what a strange and wonderful project!
In September 2006, like every year, during 3 days, this was the “closing session” of the Lapidiales, so we came and met everybody: organizer, artists, and … the site! And this is how it comes … Your work is your visiting card, you are invited by one artist who had worked before (one artist can give two names of new artists), then you learn some weeks later that you will work at the LAPIDIALES! Says Gadadhar.

Gadadhar OJHA has worked in 2007, during May and June, on the part called “in the depths of the Earth” … Two months in the part of the quarry where there is less light, where there is more humidity, where it is more cold, where people who come could not see you, because there are so many caves, so many ups and downs, that visitors forget to go to see where artists work what could be the dark side of the existence.
But in the depths of the earth, you don’t know how life could be also interesting: first, when you enter on right side, you are invited by some gnomes surrounded with strange friends with strange smiles who invite you to one library where you find old books, and crane, and candles, and another crane, and an old pair of shoes (maybe from the artist of the ones of the skeleton, lying there, waiting … ?). More far still in the right side of you, you can already see one big mouth with one woman emerging, from the throat, one big chain, you could be scared, but it is impossible because in the middle you see something else that show you the poetic part of existence.
Upon on huge black wall, suddenly you see one beautiful and peaceful human being, man, Women who knows ?, emerging from one lotus flower, showing to our eyes his/her half-nude body, the other part made by flesh, guts, intestine, heart, lung, brain … And in the center, one flower.
But there, it is impossible to be afraid, because, you know that from flower comes life, that this wonderful human being born in a flower gives birth, at his/her turn to another existence that from the depths of earth came to existence.
Suddenly, in the dark, you could see light, because slowly your eyes get used to this place, you can see also the structure: this personage is filled by horizontal lines. Those lines that follow you since you open yourself to life: the horizontal line that guides you to the sun when you wake up in the morning SUNRISE, the horizontal line when you begin to write, the horizontal lines when you begin to learn. Lines that give also movement: is not a drawing a complex of lines jointed together? There, the lines give movement to this body, and even in the dark, light is caught by these lines. Come and see this strange vision with candles around him/her … Shadows will make the body dance, will make the flower rustle … and maybe, you will be able to see life in the depth of the earth? Those lines begin from the stone to go back through the stone. But where are they going? Gadadhar OJHA has all the answer at his work. And when I asked him Don’t you ever get tired? He said, �I never do anything that is not in my nature. You don’t ask the wind whether it gets tired of blowing or the sun whether it is tired of shining. This is because they don’t do anything that is not in their nature. And the thing here is that there is not pretension. There is no covering up of a mistake. There is no point in trying to appear as someone you are not. These are the principles that make my Art very strong.�
And when we lead through such examples, through our own lives, it becomes really effective in other’s lives also. People are moved by people, not just by principles. It’s a ripple effect. Gadadhar OJHA lives and works at Paris.

Contemporary sculpture Review: Ashok Art Gallery

Website: Ashok Art Gallery
Contact email: ashokartgallery@gmail.com

born 1980, California
lives and works in downtown Los Angeles,USA

Suzanne Federico was born and raised in Fresno, California. In 1998 she attended UC Davis where she developed her interests in Art and Design. Suzanne went on to graduate in 2002 with a BA in Fine Art and a BS in Design. While at UC Davis Suzanne had the opportunity to paint a mural with instructor and artist Melaquias Montoya at Knights Landing Middle School. Her early series of oil paintings focused on interior spaces with a narrative aspect. After graduating from college, Suzanne moved back to the central valley to continue to develope as a painter.

In 2004 Suzanne relocated to Pasadena to attend Art Center College of Design. While at Art Center, Suzanne worked with painting instructors, Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, Richard Hawkins, James Hayward, and Kim Fisher. After graduating in December 2006 with a Masters of Fine Art, Suzanne opened her art studio in the Spring Arts Tower on Gallery Row of downtown Los Angeles.

During her time in art school, Suzanne developed and interest in the qualities and movement of birds, and there relationship to painting. These qualities of birds corresponds to the texture and fluidity of the paitings. The observation of birds in flight and their flock formations relates to the structural arrangements of her paintings.

In the last year Suzanne has become a part of the downtown LA art community by showing on the monthly downtown LA art walk. Suzanne is a current memeber of the Spring Arts Collective Gallery.

Website: ArtSlant
Contact email: suzannefederico@hotmail.com

1999-2000 Karoly Eszterhazy Hochschule, Zeichnung und Visuelle Kommunikation, Eger
2001 Akademie der Bildenden K�nste Budapest,Freie Malerei,
2001-2003bei Prof. Zsigmond K�rolyi,
2003-bei Prof. D�ra Maurer,
2003-2004 DAAD Stipendium an der Akademie der Bildenden K�nste in N�rnberg,bei Prof. Diet Sayler,
2004-2005 Erasmus Stipendium an der Akademie der Bildenden K�nste in N�rnberg, Kunst und �ffentlicher Raum, bei Prof. Georg Winter
2005 Der Ring des Nibelungen, Opern Gastspiel (Mitarbeit), Peking
seit 2005 Akademie der Bildenden K�nste in N�rnberg, bei Prof. Peter Angermann
2006 Gr�ndung von Hase & Moos Kunstforum e.V., N�rnberg
2007 Mitgalerist in der Galerie-Bernsteinzimmer, N�rnberg
Ausstellungen

2008, Staatliches Theater, N�rnberg (S)(K)
2008, “Neuer Kunstsalon 2008″ Haus der Kunst S�dgalerie, M�nchen (K)
2008, “Unter Druck” Druckgraphik, Akademie Galerie, N�rnberg
2007, “Hoppla” - Druckgraphik, Galerie DIZZYS, N�rnberg
2007, “Akt” Balazzo Brozzi, N�rnberg (S)
2007, “Katastrophen 2″ und “Jubil�umsausstellung”
Galerie - Bernsteinzimmer, N�rnberg
2007, “Art at Work 2″ Ausstellung bei Smurfit Kappa Wellpappe, Feucht
2007, “F�nf x 1″ Ausstellung im S�ddeutscher Verlag, h�thig-jehle-rehm, M�nchen (K)
2007, “F�nf x 1″ Ausstellung in Landshut, Galerie in Bewegung (K)
2007, “ARCHE NOAH” Austellung der Klasse Maurer, Ungarische Universit�t f�r Bildende Kunst, Budapest, an der ADBK N�rnberg. Organisiert von Szilard Huszank
2007, “Balthus und die Oper” in hase&moos - kunstforum e.V., N�rnberg (S)
2006, “Fett auf Mager”, N�rnberg (Ausstellungshalle der ADBK) (K)
2006, Malerei Ausstellung im Balazzo Brozzi (mit Axel Gercke und Andre Debus), N�rnberg (S)
2006, Collegium Hungaricum, Wien
2006, “scharf schiessen”, 3hoch3, N�rnberg
2006, “Fett auf Mager”, Schwabach (K)
2006, “Chinesisches Kulturh�ppchen” in der Ortart Galerie (mit Yue Li), N�rnberg (S)
2005, “Bl�hbungen” Forschungsgruppe_ f,Lothringer 13 (program angels), M�nchen
2005, “GEO 2″, in dem Staatlichen Geologischen Institut, Budapest
2004, Ausstellung in H�chstadt, durch die Organisation von Prof. Diet Sayler (K)
2004, Kunstgeschpr�ch in dem IFA in Stuttgart, (Georg Winter, Gyula Kurucz, Julia Fabenyi, Petra Mostbacher-Dix)
2004, Dannerpreis 2004, ADBK in N�rnberg
2004, Artpool Galerie, “Jatek,mindenk�p(p)en”, Budapest
2003, “Der Raub der Europa” nach Auswahl, Millen�ris-Park, Budapest
2003, “Hausbezetzung aller Art”, Budapest
2003, OMDK - Ausstellung, Budapest
2003, Bencz�r Haus, Budapest
2003, Barcsay Raum, Akademie der Bildenden K�nste, Budapest
2002, “Der Tag der Maler” - Ausstellung nach Auswahl, Budapest
2001, K�roly Eszterh�zy Hochschule, Eger (S)

(S) -Solo
(K) -Katalog

Viereckige Bilder - Aus dem Katalog: Szilard Huszank, Malerei 2001-2007

Szilard Huszank geh�rt als K�nstler zu den am besten organisierten Menschen, die ich kenne. Alles, was er angeht ist von einer bemerkenswerten Zielstrebigkeit und Aufger�umtheit, sodass am zu erwartenden Erfolg seiner Aktivit�ten kaum Zweifel aufkommen wollen. Nat�rlich ist auch ihm bewusst, dass nicht alles im Leben planbar ist, doch wo immer strategische �berlegung von Nutzen ist, l�sst er seinem apollinischen Naturell freien Lauf.

Solche Leute sind oft hervorragende Schachspieler, und falls sie sich der Kunst zuwenden, einem Gebiet, wo jeder denkbare Menschentypus anzutreffen ist, dann fallen sie dort durch ihre rigide Selbstdisziplin auf, einer Eigenschaften also, die nicht so von vorne herein als typisch k�nstlerisch gelten mag. Vielleicht war Mondrian so jemand, oder M.C. Escher, oder der von Szilard Huszank hoch verehrte Balthus.
# Dass sich Szilard Huszank einer handwerklich ausgereiften, unumwunden realistischen Malerei widmet, ist so gesehen nicht weiter verwunderlich. Wendet er sich einem Thema zu, sei es ein Aktmodell in einer bestimmten Pose oder in einem bestimmten Interieur oder sei es ein ausgekl�gelt arrangiertes Stillleben, so entstehen meist ganze Serien von Bildern, die den Gegenstand unter den verschiedensten Aspekten zeigen. Dieses Vorgehen hat viel von einer naturwissenschaftlichen Forschungsarbeit, und es betrifft nicht nur den Gegenstand, sondern auch die Methoden und Konzepte: Ein Spiel mit Selbstzitaten etwa oder mit kompositorischen Eigenwilligkeiten von der Art �extreme Draufsicht auf unterschiedliche Ebenen� wird gleich �ber mehrere Bilder hinweg variiert. Oft tauchen die gleichen Attribute, Muster, Farbkombinationen oder formalen Spielereien immer wieder auf. W�hrend heute viele K�nstler bestrebt sind, allzu viele Wiederholungen zu vermeiden, und zudem jeder aufkeimenden Routine zutiefst misstrauen, aus dem Weg gehen und ihr oft bewusst zuwider arbeiten, wohl aus Angst um ihr bisschen k�nstlerische Freiheit, hat Szilard Huszank keinerlei Problem damit, sich seiner Erfahrungen souver�n zu bedienen, auf Erlerntem aufzubauen und sich in bestem Sinne akademisch weiterzuentwickeln. Und so reift seine Malerei von Bild zu Bild und gewinnt zusehends an Sicherheit, Raffinesse und Eleganz. Mit gro�em Ernst, doch keineswegs frei von Humor geht er einen k�nstlerischen Weg, wie er gegenw�rtig eher die Ausnahme, dar�ber hinaus aber eigentlich nur selbstverst�ndlich ist.

Da� sich ein heutiger und durchaus ehrgeiziger K�nstler mit solch ausgepr�gtem strategischem Verstand so wenig auf die g�ngigen neo- und neoneoavantgardistischen Sehgewohnheiten der Kunstkommunity einl�sst, sich so unger�hrt antizyklisch verh�lt, mag manchen �berraschen. W�re es doch ein Leichtes f�r ihn, in diesem Gesellschaftsspiel seinen Stich zu machen. F�r mich ist diese Art Abstinenz nur ein zus�tzlicher Hinweis auf die reiche malerische Inspiration und k�nstlerische Leidenschaft von Szilard Huszank.

Peter Angermann

Website: Szilard Huszank
Contact email: info@szilardhuszank.de