Sometimes it becomes a bit too spacy. And then I need time to see if it is too spacy (...) It should be a bit weird, but not too weird.
— Kinga Bartis.
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. The gallery opened its first solo exhibition with Bartis in 2021. In 2022, Bartis opened a solo exhibition at TRANEN Space for Contemporary Art (Gentofte).
Born in 1984 in Transylvania, Romania
Lives and works in Copenhagen, The Netherlands
Education
2018 |
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark |
2017 |
Umeå Art Academy, Sweden |
2009 |
Corvinus University Budapest, Hungary |
Solo Exhibitions
2024 |
Galerie Marguo, 'In a one', Paris, France |
2023 |
Galleri Nicolai Wallner, ‘WhileAway’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
2022 |
Roskilde Festival, ‘Kinga Bartis’, Roskilde, Denmark |
Tranen, ‘Kinga Bartis’, Gentofte, Denmark |
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2021 |
Galleri Nicolai Wallner, ‘Irregulars. Beyond The Current’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
Outpost Gallery, ‘Deep, Deep Down Far, Far In’, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
2020 | Mural on Valby Hallen, Copenhagen, Denmark |
2019 | Archway Nightlands Connector Jennifee-See Alternate, ‘The Earthlings and the Otherworlders’ Copenhagen, Denmark |
Group Exhibitions
2022 | Sophienholm Kunsthal, ‘Metamorphoser’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
Nikolaj Kunsthal, ‘Københavnerstykker’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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Vandrehallen, ‘At Være Til’, Hillerød, Denmark | |
Museet For Religiøs Kunst, ‘Vera Icon’, Lemvig, Denmark |
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Copenhagen Contemporary, ‘Dangerous When Wet’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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2021 |
Galleri Nicolai Wallner, ‘The Autumn Show’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
eastcontemporary, Milan, Italy |
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Rønnebæksholm, ‘Soil. Sickness. Society’, Næstved, Denmark |
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2020 |
Gallery Kunstsalonen, ‘Frederiks Salonen’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
AUC ART, May Auction, London, UK |
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Casinot XXH, ‘Works on Paper’, Malmø, Sweden |
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OK Corral, ‘Some Days Last a Long Time (w. Coline Marotta)’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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PADA Studios, ‘Not Yet, No’, Lisbon, Portugal |
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PADA Studios, ‘SALAT DAYS’, Lisbon, Portugal |
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Udstillingsstedet Sydhavn Station, ‘12 Hours, Shift (w. Anna Stahn)’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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Udstillingsstedet Sydhavn Station, ‘Bad Girl Painting’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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kolonihaveforeningen Grænsen, Perelin, ‘Nattens Skov’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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OTP Copenhagen, ‘Deep Dream’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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Galleri Tom Christoffersen, ‘14,8×21’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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All Mouth Gallery and Bowes-Paris Gallery, ‘Curated for Christmas (charity auction)’, London, UK | |
Curated by Jens-Peter Brask, ‘Mural on Valby Hallen’, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
2019 | Galleri Bo Bjerggaard, ‘Bestseller’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
Kunsthal Ved Siden Af, ‘Denne Universets Mave’, Svendborg, Denmark | |
PADA + Turps Banana London, Lisbon, Portugal | |
Alice Folker Gallery, ‘Julesalon’, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
Den Frie Udstillingsbygning, ‘Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling’, Copenhagen, Denmark | |
2018 | Royal Academy of Fine Arts, ‘Masters Salon Painting 2018’, Antwerp, Belgium |
Kunsthal Charlottenborg, ‘MFA Degree Show’, Copenhagen, Denmark |
Articles/Reviews
2021 |
“InterLove”, Synne Rifbjerg, Weekendavisen, July 30, 2021 |
2020 |
“Kunstneren som identitetssøgende”, Victor Boy Lindholm, Weekendavisen, December 28, 2020 |
”Uncovering The Fluidity of the Human Animal: The Shifting States and Worlds of Kinga Bartis’s Paintings”, ART MAZE Mag, November 26, 2020 |
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“Drømme i dansk billedkunsts nye surrealisme”, Dagbladet Information, June, 2020 | |
2019 | “Kinga Bartis”, Papir Galleri, AF Art, October, 2019 |
”Børsen Atelier KE19: Tre talenter du skal holde øje med”, Børsen, November 2019 |
Collections
Statens Kunstfond/The Danish Art Council, Denmark Københavns Kommune/Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark
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Kinga BartisBrave are the tiny stones sleeping in wild rivers, 2024Oil on linen200 x 300 cm (78 3/4 x 118 1/8 in)
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Kinga BartisDon’t look down, but remember sometimes, to before you were. It will help you seeing cleaner in darkness, 2024Oil on linen115 x 100 cm (45 1/4 x 39 3/8 in)
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Kinga BartisHome/ Portrait of a shell, 2024Oil on linen120 x 150 cm (47 1/4 x 59 in)
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Kinga BartisRootless strangers, 2024Oil on linen250 x 100 cm (98 3/8 x 39 3/8 in)
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Kinga BartisWhileAway, 2023Mixed media245 x 600 cm (96 1/2 x 236 1/4 in)
framed: 250 x 605 cm (98 3/8 x 238 1/4 in) -
Kinga Bartisand change became their landscape, 2022Mixed media200 x 150 cm (78 11/16 x 59 1/16 in)
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Kinga BartisDream gatherers, 2022Mixed media148 x 153 x 5.5 cm (58 4/16 x 60 3/16 x 2 2/16 in)
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Kinga BartisSummoning a home, 2022Mixed media153 x 143 x 5.5 cm (60 3/16 x 56 4/16 x 2 2/16 in)
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Kinga BartisSelf Taught Love, 2021Mix media on canvasframed: 203 x 134 cm (79 7/8 x 52 3/4 in)
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Woman: Kinga Bartis: "It is a huge privilege to make art for 135,000 people."
Cecilia Saxton, Woman, 28 Jun 2023 -
Artforum: Kinga Bartis
Frida Sandström, Artforum, 3 Mar 2023 -
Art Viewer: Kinga Bartis at Tranen
Art Viewer, 15 Aug 2022 -
Kunstkritikk: Below Us, the Sea
Kinga Bartis’s works speak into the dominant feminisms and surrealisms of our time, but successfully evades all the words.Louise Steiwer, Kunstkritikk, 22 Jun 2022 -
Kunsten: Kinga Bartis: Shores of Selves
Kunsten, 20 Jun 2022