Tamás Kovácsin (Helsinki, 2001)
I have mentioned their names because I feel that Tamás László Kovács reaches back to their thoughts first of all, to support his own innovations. He experiments with completely naked, reduced elements. We can see the interest of Rodcenko in lines as basic elements although in a more restrained way. We can see the basic geometrical forms of Malevic, with the pretensions of an engineer. We can see the constructions of Tatlin (but we could mention Rodcenko as well) in a more sterile form. So the debenture proves that Tamás László Kovács is the debtor of constructivism, but János Fajó is also mortgaged.In this substance innovation aims at a maniac purity, at a rigorous precision, emphasizing the perfection of a constructed world. "...responsibility of the knowledge of eternal present..." is the title of the exhibition. It is not about eternity, even if we can hear its melody, it is more a hint at present, at eternity in present we are responsible for. When it becomes past (which will happen very soon) dimensions of new innovations will open. Responsibility derives from this. The program of present can or must become the value of a future past, according to the obligation of artists. This statement involves the death of his own innovations. Why would he insist on this extreme reduction otherwise? Why would he go towards the zero point of art on his artistic path? He could even offer his place to the computer designer. The beauty of logic is original and so i the truth of geometry if we think of cosmic proliferation. They become intertwined in aesthetics. László Fábián Delivered at Polaris Gallery on 4th December 2000 Tradition and Innovation Something that looks new is not necessarily new. One has to be suspicious about it a little bit. This simple statement is probably very significant from the point of view of modern art. Modern art is always expected to attract people's attention with innovations. It is obvious for me that it is unavoidable in a certain respect. Nobody would like to see works of art based on the same pattern, not even art dealers who deal with forgeries.l wish to make it clear however that innovation has not only meant this since the period of classical avantguarde. As if innovation in itself was the only value, as if spirit, quality, expression did not count, not to mention old fashioned requirements like contents or message. Novelty eliminates or cancels the past, it silences retrospective misgivings. As if any kind of present could exist without a past. As if the negative gestures of present removed the hidden affirmation of past. The debenture of every innovation is made by the past, so inovation depends on the past. More exactly, it depends on negation, on the opposition to origins. But as it is really a debenture, it is also indebted to the past, at least for the co-ordinates it has borrowed from it. Otherwise, nobody would be able to interpret novelties. The innovation of classical constructivism was geometry, but perhaps it is better to say that geometry was conjured up from the traditions of the golden age nearly forgotten. In that tradition geometric forms (square, circle, triangle, cross, etc.) were symbols, readable signs of the conception of the universe. The avantguarde of the 20th century has taken over some symbolic heritage together with the forms, although they are not necessarily symbols of the conception of the universe, also because by that time there was nobody in the community who knew that conception. Only the need survived to reconstruct the world more and more perfectly. This intention motivated for example the Russian constructivists: Malevich, Tatlin or El Lisinsky. Tamás Kovácsin näyttely: Sulaudun hiljaisuuteen Kunnianosoitus Alvar Aallolle 2. 3.-29. 3. 2001. tervetuloa avajaisiin torstaina 1. 3. klo 18 Clnkarin kulttuuri- ja tiedekeskus avoinna: ma, ke, to 9-16; ti, pe 9-18 nyitva: hétfő, szerda, csütörtök 9-16; kedd, péntek 9-18 Paasivuorenkatu 4-6 A III. krs./em. 00530 Helsinki