New alt_space Exhibition in November October 19 2023
LUCA MOLNAR
Helybe
November 4 - December 9, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, November 4, 4-7 PM
Artist Talk: Friday, November 17, 11 AM
Click to Read Artist Statement
Image: Site-specific installation of manufactured ceramic tile (detail)
About the Exhibition
Luca Molnar is a Hungarian artist based in DeLand, Florida. Primarily a painter, her work often explores relationships between contemporary identity and historical narrative. Through her use of decorative patterns, she references imagined domestic spaces that, she explains, “allow the private sphere to emerge as a complex and contradictory site worthy of our attention.” Recently, Molnar has been incorporating sculptural design elements into her work, such as small-scale floor platforms that reference specific settings, such as bright blue carpets from the 1980s or the tiled entryways of pre-war New York City buildings.
For this, Molnar’s first site-specific installation, she has transformied the alt_space by covering the floor with colorful ceramic tile to mimic the flame stitch embroidery pattern of Hungarian origin.
The title of this exhibition, Helybe, is a Hungarian word that loosely references place. As such, this work explores how the sense of a place can be influenced by memories, experiences, and its tactile/sensory qualities. Molnar adds, "much like the body, vernacular architecture and interior design is often feminized and not regarded with the seriousness afforded other art forms." Yet, for the artist, these moments of décor provide the most direct line to the visual and physical qualities of the urban landscape, allowing viewers to travel as they step onto/into the gallery space.
About the Artist
Luca Molnar (b. 1991, Budapest, Hungary) received her MFA from New York University and her BA in Studio Art from Dartmouth College. Recent solo exhibitions include Same Source at Art Center Sarasota, FL (2023) and Fresh Squeezed 4 at the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL (2020). Her work has also been included in group exhibitions Wild Garden at Wasmer Art Gallery, Fort Myers, FL (2023); Formation at Spartanburg Art Museum, SC (2021); The House Made of Sugar with A.I.R. Gallery at NADA House, Governors Island, NY (2019); and Night Swimming at Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA (2018). In 2022, she was an international artist-in-residence at art quarter Budapest. Molnar is an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Stetson University in DeLand, Florida.
Artists Acknowledgements
The work in this exhibition is funded in part by Stetson University’s Office of Provost and Academic Affairs and would not be possible without the support of Stetson University’s Professional Development Committee; Natalie Thomas, installation assistant; and Fruzsina Molnar, my forever editor.