Péter Szalay (HU), 24 Hours Sculpture

24 Hours Sculpture, 2019
Plexiglass, steel
29 x 30 x 30 cm

Work is generally viewed as an essential pillar of most daily routines and key to economic growth, as well as technological progress. Yet as social and economic systems evolve, our very concept of time changes, especially with the onset of digitalisation, which has helped further accelerate the pace of change in the world of work. As a result, public discussion of topics such as the worklife balance or four-day workweek has taken on a new quality. At the same time, social media reinforces the impression that many people are permanently available online.

The starting point of the work 24 Hours Sculpture is the movement of a clockwork. Szalay has assembled flat, black and white elements that overlap to imitate the movement of the hands of a clock. The arrangement follows the geometry of a pentagram-shaped flat curve and thus appears to fan out and then fold back together. The finished sculpture consists of an upright, oval, concave-convex form combined with a similar horizontal form. This results in a kind of optical illusion that can be viewed in the tradition of Op Art.

In addition to socio-political themes, Szalay often takes up scientific issues such as time and ways of measuring time. In this sculpture, each abstract unit of “time” can simultaneously be experienced linearly and conceived of as a part of the whole 24 hours in space.

Péter Szalay graduated from the sculpture department at the University of Pécs more than a decade ago. Ever since the beginning of his artistic career, he has experimented with new technological solutions and different sculptural materials. Solo exhibition highlights include his show at acb Galéria in 2019. Szalay also participated at the 2015 and 2013 BOOKMARKS exhibitions, as well as the 3rd Moscow International Biennale for Young Art in 2012. His works have featured in exhibitions in the Hungarian capital at the Hungarian National Gallery, New Budapest Gallery and Trafó Gallery, as well as at Karlín Studios (Prague). He was nominated for the Unicredit Bank visual art prize in 2018. In addition to many private collections, his artworks can be found in public institutions such as Ludwig Museum of Contemporary Art (Budapest) and the Institute of Contemporary Art (Dunaújváros).