ARTIST PROFILE

Kata Tranker

  • Hungary (b. 1989 in Székesfehérvár)
  • Currently in Budapest, Hungary.

REPRESENTATION

  • 2018

  • Venus figurines made of dough cc. 12x4x5 cm each

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  • Birth of Venus  - thumbnail  - thumbnail details of the installation Birth of Venus - thumbnail works in resin - thumbnail

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    Birth of Venus - "Leopold Bloom" | 2018

2018 Parthenon fríz-terem, Hungarian University of Fine Arts, Budapest _________________________________________________________________________________ A theory says Venus figurines from the Palaeolithic are made by the represented women themselves, as looking down on their changing biological selves. Another widespread interpretation claims origin of these sculptures is related to pornography and teenager boys used them as sexual tools. The most common accepted version of explanation says spiritual function and fertility rites stand behind these objects. _________________________________________________________________________________ Since the mostly palm-sized statuettes were found in large number many scholars wanted to get closer to their interpretation - doctors wanted to diagnose diseases of Palaeolithic man on the figurines, they were used by feminists as a proof of prehistoric matriarchal societies, racial ideologists were concerned to identify creators’ race, etc. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Art history traditionally begins with these objects. Palaeolithic Venus figurines are the first representational images of the human body and so the first sculptures. But if we originate art from this objects we need to define again what we call ‘art’. As it today became a whole industry with their means of production, manufacturing processes, economic transactions, logistics, communication, marketing and a great deal of actors - so the contrast with the artefacts of prehistoric societies is huge and still we use the same world ‘art’ for both. ___________________________________________________________________________________ The show of Kata Tranker focuses on the dichotomy between life and art, or to be more correct how art was ripped out from life. Palaeolithic statuettes were byproducts of ancient people life. Nowadays it seems art has disappeared from our everyday life because of institutionalization. The recall and reinterpretation of these figurines points out our problematical notion of art and art history. On the exhibition the statuettes are assembled with different objects which constitute a single installation.