Tolom: fertile with surrealism

India International Centre (IIC) plays host to an exhibition of the combined works of four contemporary Hungarian artists labeled Tolom. The flyer at the exhibition suggests that not much is known about Tolom but it is a part of everyday life. Intrigued by the displays and aroused by the curiosity to find more about this Tolom one decided to do a simple Hungarian to English translation of the word. The answer was ‘slide'. Although the eponymous exhibition at the IIC doesn't really suggest anything that satisfies the translation the work is nevertheless riveting to say the least. The exhibition comprises of sculptures, installations and paintings of Ádám Szabó, Balázs Csepregi, Gergo Kovách and Norbert Kotormán.



The works here use the ‘tolom' method but what's surprising is that neither the flyer nor anything else shines any more light on what this elusive method is! This little detail keeps popping up every time you see any piece of art on display. Starting with paintings by Balázs Csepregi, the images offer a ringside view of the mind of the artist. A collection of colour and monochromatic watercolours, these paintings are fertile with surrealism. Images like a broken flyover with a connecting staircase just short of it, a car trapped in a cage perched precariously on a rock and bridges connecting adjacent hills overpower your senses. The childlike innocence of the strokes interspersed with diabolic representation of everyday life depicts great irony.



Gergo Kovách's installations would easily be one of the real reason for not to miss this exhibition. Unlike the popular perception the installations, Kovách makes his works look like miniature porcelain toys. The one that stands out is the scary one with dogs leaping over a sleeping man. A walk right into someone's nightmare, the work is fascinatingly original. Ádám Szabó's three video screens with transmission error is a very powerful anti-war statement. The TV panel is made of steel and the screen is created out of carpet strongly make a point for cutting out news that mostly feeds off people's emotions. Szabó's other mesmerizing piece is made out of two hollow tree trunks which are suspended in mid-air and simply called Ring. The other installation conjured up with coir and thread depicts beauty and danger hand-in-hand; the life size woman dressed in short red dress with a butcher knife would, no doubt, enthrall. This is a very interesting exhibition as the sheer quality of the work evokes reactions. Unusual for an exhibition, Tolom operates on quality and not quantity--sparsely displayed the works might not fill the room but they will surely fill up the senses.


The author is an entertainment news editor and works for many websites related to event, bollywood, music, movie, concerts and theater. Visit one more interesting article of author: Hindi Filmy and Pop Music by Kunal Ganjawala or http://www.buzzintown.com/bangalore/event_hindi-filmy-pop-music-kunal-ganjawala--id_125245.html