Those familiar with Peter Rónai’s work have, over nearly five decades of his presence on the Central European art scene, become accustomed to the fact that his work is not only a mirror of the postmodern era, but has also been remarkably effective in reflecting the digital age. And it seems that today’s post-truth era suits him as well. In a time when emotions outweigh facts more than ever, he is free to play with the meanings of words, texts, and images. Within the context of his oeuvre, the exhibition POSTCONTEMPORÓNAI belongs among his “most classical” presentations. Many of the exhibited works — primarily acrylic paintings and mixed media pieces — date back to the 1980s, when he was active on the unofficial art scene. As the title suggests, it is work that comes after the “post contemporary” era, metaphorically returning to his younger years while simultaneously continuing that line through more recent paintings. In essence, the exhibition confirms that alongside the deconstruction of the image (both physical and digital), performative actions, and happenings reflecting the spirit of their time, Rónai also devoted himself to painting, collage, and other techniques that were considered outdated and essentially “dead” especially during the 1990s. His play with language — primarily based on the negation of concepts, the deconstruction of various “-isms,” and the use of signs and symbols within the image — became the central theme of this presentation.

Alongside the currently running exhibitions featuring Rónai’s works (Distorted Image. Chapters from the Beginnings of Video Art at the House of Arts of the City of Brno, Bang?! Bang! 2 at the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava, and The Art of Interaction at the Bratislava City Gallery), the artist demonstrates that his body of work is vast, the nature of his practice hybrid, and his social stance unconventional. As he stated in 2014 regarding visual art:

“Over the decades, the alternative has become the mainstream, and the mainstream has become the alternative.”

Roman Popelár