STATEMENT

My paintings start with researched images on the Internet and taking photographs. I dislocate those photographic elements from their temporal and original contexts, giving them emphasis by placing them within a painterly landscape. After a digital sketch, I create oil paintings focusing on contrast, saturated colors, composition, and visual dynamics. My paintings discuss social alienation and new social norms and deal with my personal history and autobiographical narratives, including my family and relationships. A body of work of mine called “United People,” which I have been developing since 2015, reflects the diversity of people. I portray human figures in various saturated colors, thinking about the diversity of people. The ambiguity of the images comes from the anonymity of the objects and the characters, blurred animalistic identities, and the intimate relationships created once the primer motifs and the backgrounds are combined.

Beyond my painting practice, I work in various mediums; I create immersive spaces that can inspire communities and create fictional narratives to discuss new social norms that didn’t exist before. I fabricate carpets and tables using various materials and digitally produced woven carpets. I aim to make total art where kinetic sculptures are placed at the center while vision, sound, movement, and interaction of the participants create a multi-sensory ambience. Tapping into the polar opposites of alienation and community, I offer rituals to participants, such as the Cacao Ceremony, which is based on a 5000-year-long social formula to enhance unity in a playful way.

Curriculum Vitae

Studies:

2018-2020 Pratt Institute, MA, Painting and Drawing, Brooklyn, NY
2009 University of Hertfordshire, MA, Fine Art, Hatfield, England,
2005-2011 University of Pécs, BA + MA, Painting, Hungary
2004-2005  Novus Art School, Printmaking and Film, Budapest, Hungary

Solo Exhibitions:

2024 Couple, 30 lovers in 30 days, Satellite Gallery, Manhattan, NY

2022 Masks in Rave, Garment District, Space for Public Art, Kaufman Arcade, Manhattan, NY

2019 Art Blankets for Picnic, Public Art that features 15 digitally produced tapestries, location: Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
2016 United People, Ateliers Pro Arts Gallery, Budapest
2016 United People, Exhibition in a private apartment, Budapest
2013 Drawings, Tabán Art Cinema, Budapest
2011 French Greyhound a’ Picasso, Alexandra Book Store, Drawing show, Budapest
2011 Enviroment and L’amour, Arena Corner Office, Painting show, Budapest,

Group Exhibitions:

2022-2023 No Misery Can Tell, No Word of Farewell, a group exhibition curated by Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, Jeff Barnett-Winsby and Will Hutnick, Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY
https://www.wassaicproject.org/exhibitions/no-misery-can-tell-no-word-of-farewell
2022 Echoes of the Ancient, a group exhibition curated by Jacki Davies, Jolene Dosa, and Ambrus Gero, 56 Bogart Street, Suite 122, Brooklyn, NY
2022 Chromotherapy in an Age of Doubt, curated by Yasmeen Siddiqui, Pratt Manhattan Gallery, New York
2021 18 +, curated by Szilvi Ipacs, Collab Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
2020 Inheritance, curated by Andrew Paul Woolbright and Kyle Hittmeier, Super Dutchess Gallery, currently called Bellow Grand Gallery

New York
2019 Human Being / Being Human, Curated by Mari Moeller Joergensen, CGK – Carlsberg City Gallery & Art Salon Exhibition during Copenhagen Photo Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
2019 Beyond Species, curated by FIT MA in Art Market Studies class of 2019, Fashion Institute of Technology, Manhattan, New York
2019 Z to A, curated by Susan Choi, Holyrad Studio, Brooklyn, New York
2018 Selected Works, curated by Lara Nasser, Pfizer Building, Brooklyn, New York
2018 Welcome Back, Steuben Gallery, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York
2017 Latarka Gallery, Budapest
2016 Latarka Gallery, Budapest
2016 Gallery-Museum Lendava, 21th International Fine Arts Workshop for Young Artists, Lendava, Slovenia
2015 In the Meanwhile, Partizán Galéria, Budapest, Hungary
2015 Give Me Air, Partizán Galéria, Budapest, Hungary
2011 Nádor Gallery, Pécs 2008
2010 Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
2009 Wam Design Center, Budapest
2005 Hungaricum, Museum of Applied Arts, Competition of Hungaricum

Curated Group Show:

2020 Hope, Pfizer Building, Brooklyn, New York
2022 Echoes of the Ancient, a group exhibition curated by Jacki Davies, Jolene Dosa, and Ambrus Gero, 56 Bogart Street, Suite 122, Brooklyn, NY

Art Residencies:

2022 -2023 Wassaic Project Summer Residency
2016 Gallery-Museum Lendava, 21th International Fine Arts Workshop for Young Artists, Lendava, Slovenia

Awards:

2019 Art Blankets for Picnic, GSEF Scholarship, Public Art with 16 digitally produced rugs, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY

2018 People’s Choice Award as part of the Jackson’s Open Painting Prize

2010 Compliment of Pécs – Competition of Public Speakers, I. prize. Hungary
2008 The Most Positive Artist, Wam Design Gallery, award of the public and the jury, Hungary

Art Projects:

2010 Pécs, Pécs Academic’s Days Festival, Ikarus bus
2007 Dombovár-Gunaras, Northic walking path

Scholarships:

2020 Barrett Endowed Scholarship
2019 The Virginia Pratt Thaye Scholarhip
2019 The Carlow Memorial Scholarship
2019 Pratt in Venice Scholarship, merit-based
2011 Vaci Greens, 1st Prize, Competition of Public Creation for Environmental Sustainablity, Conceptual Garden, Atenor Company, Hungary
2010 Amadeus Scholarship, Erste Bank
2009 Erasmus Scholarship, University of Hertfordshire, England, Hatfield, advisor: Sam Jury

Public Collections:

2014 Data Foundation, title of the artwork: Naiv, 2008
2009 Foundation of Erste Bank, title of the artwork: Half Globe, 2009

International Exchange and Scholarships:

2012 Promotion and Protection of Traditional Carieers, Gazientep, Turkey
2010 Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany

Press:

2022 The Garment District’s Kaufman Arcade presents Ambrus Gero: Masks in Rave, published by Gotham to Go, 2022
https://gothamtogo.com/the-garment-districts-kaufman-arcade-presents-ambrus-gero-masks-in-rave/#more-74685

2020 Pratt Institute MFA Fine Arts Catalog 2020, Inferences with Ursula K. Le Guin and Yasmeen Siddiqui, printed by Small Editions, published by Pratt Institute, New York, 2020

2019 https://commons.pratt.edu/…/sites/304/2019/12/Field-Site-in-Process-Catalogue.pdf
Field Site-in-Process, a collaborative studio, exhibition, and research within Expanded Field practices Field is a research project investigating new forms for collaborative and cross-pollinating pedagogy and it’s full catalouge. November 21, 2019

2018 https://www.jacksonsart.com/blog/2018/11/30/ambrus-gero-artist-interview/
‘Ambrus ‘Brush’ Gero: Beetween Reality and Fantasy’ inteview by Daniel Brady
November 30, 2018
2016 http://www.nyitottmutermek.hu/graffititol-vaszonig-interju-gero-ambrus-kepzomuvesszel/
‘From Graffiti to Canvas’, Interview with Ambrus Gero, interview by Krisztina Heckler, Open Studios Afternoon, September 11, 2016

2016 https://nonprofitquarterly.org/regulation-philanthropic-organizations/
‘Regulation of Nonprofit and Philantropic Organizations: An international Persective’, Mark Sidel, The Nonprofit Quarterly (NPQ) NPQ is a leading American newspaper in the field of research-based socio-political and economics articles, July 25, 2016

2016 http://artnews.hu/2016/11/12/animalia-bartok-1-galeria/
‘Interview with Ambrus Gero and Laszlo L. Csernatony, Animália,
Artnews.hu, Bartok 1 Gallery, inteview by Ditta Toth
November 12, 2016
ArtNews.hu is a leading Hungarian online contemporary art platform that informs public about contemporary visual art events on a wide scale

2016 https://www.culture.si/en/Lendava-Lendva_International_Fine_Arts_Colony
https://www.gml.si/en/publications/‘21th International Fine Arts Workshop for Young Artists’ book, edited by Dubravko Baumgartner, Gallery-Museum Lendava, Lendava, Slovenia

2016 http://artkartell.hu/component/k2/172-az-egyutterzes-formai
‘The Forms of Sympahty’, conversation with Roza El-Hassan during her solo show at Inda Gallery, Budapest, Hungary, 2016 March 23 – April 29, interview by Ambrus Gero, edited by Gabor Rieder, published on the website of ArtKartell Magazine, May 5, 2016

2011 https://epiteszforum.hu/ot-kiemelkedo-alkotast-dijaztak-a-vaci-greens-irodapark-egyetemi-palyazatan
‘Five Extraordinary Artworks Were Awarded in the Vaci Green’s University Competition ’ – mentioned in 3 online magazines, May 27, 2011

2011 https://ingatlanhirek.hu/archivum/ot-kiemelkedo-alkotast-dijaztak-a-vaci-greens-irodapark-egyetemi-palyazatan/, May 26, 2011

2011 http://ujlakas.info/lakaspiaci-hir/Ot-kiemelkedo-alkotast-dijaztak-a-Vaci-Greens-irodapark-egyetemi-palyazatan/23108/, May 26, 2011