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Artists Registry
Rego Park NY United States
Artist's Statement
THE MYTH OF THE PHOENIX
9/11 created a wave of paint humiliation and confusion. At the same time, the need to receive signals and symbols arises, to connect the tragic moment with a higher dimension of understanding.
In this collective emotional intensity I participated in 2002 in the Listening to the City event, "Remember and Rebuild", sponsored by Civic Alliance in Jacob Javits Center. In 2003 I created my Memorial project,
"spiritual Galaxy" for the Memorial Competition, organized by the LMDC. In 2004 I found the inspiration in mythology envisioning the firebird,
the Phoenix. This painting, 72"/78" oil on canvas, is my version of the rubble, fire, fossil and recomposed wings. The image contains the stage of death and rebirth simultaneously.
The Myth of the Pheonix
The Phoenix, in mythology and legend in several cultures, points out the man's desire to transcend his finite existence by choosing a symbol that expresses his hope of rebirth, humanity's ever-determined spirit.
The root of the story first appears in ancient Greek literature, in Herodotus' account of Egypt (CH 30 BC). The bird sings the song of rear beauty, and build a nest of the sweetest spices. The ray of sun ignites the nest and both are consumed to ashes. From the ashes arises a new Phoenix. The young Phoenix embalms the old ashes in an egg made of myrrh, and deposits in Heliopolis, Egypt. In the greet{ language phoenix means the color purple-red. The magical Bennu bird in The Book of Death appears with many attributes of the Phoenix. Early Christian art transformed it into a symbol of Christ, representing the resurrection. The Chinese Feng-Hwang is a heavenly emissary which appears when the land enjoys God's favor.
An other association is with the total eclipse of sun, which displays a distinctly birdlike form, and inspired the solar falcon god, Horus in Egypt Ancient mythical birds are Garuda, in Sanskrit, Ziz or Roc. The giant bird in Jewish mythology, or Simurgh in Persian beliefs. Even the Inuit in far Nord had myth about the "Midnight Sun", or in the sacred art of indians is the legendary "Black Thunderbird".
The myth and theological concept inspired by the"sun-bird" has the esoteric cosmic symbolism about the death and resurrection:
THE SUN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL RISE, WITH HEALING IN HIS WINGS"
"PHOENIX"
THE MONUMENTAL AUBUSSON TAPESTRY 16'/ 2o'
The 9/11 real-time tragic events are revoked with the Memorial Ceremonies each year. The pain of loss reverberates in Ground Zero.
In 2004, the Phoenix painting was shown in my gallery (Symbol Gallery) on Front Street, just blocks away from the World Trade Center site.
The impulse, to create the monumental tapestry, happened on September 11, ioo -. The visitors comments started a circulation of ideas about the image: how visually rich and densely layered, how interconnected the material is with the immaterial, how the surrealist language of the dramatic concept expresses the meaning, is striking.
I remember the confession of one lady with white hair, about her special emotion, provoked by this image: she has not felt this powerful energy of rebirth, since her son died in the 9/11 attacks. She suggested, that this painting should be emphasized.
"The impact of an archetype stirs us because it summons up a voice that is stronger then our own" (Jung)
Aristotle theorized in his work, The Poetics, that tragedy results in catharsis of healing, emotional cleansing for the audience through their experience of emotions in response to the suffering happening in the drama. Dramatic realism is the style of my art. My artwork offers a meditation on the permanent and transitory, on the poetic and the tragic. The image captures a real contemporary feeling using a symbol from the collective memory to revile its contradiction. The image, with its self-narrative nature will always be meaningful.
In my tapestry studio the loom was too small to translate the image in a monumental tapestry. Searching for solution, in zoo6, I found a high quality aubusson style tapestry studio in China. The 16 7 2o' piece will be finished in 2007. I recomposed the image with more suggestion of "rebirth in front of our eyes", with more details from the real elements of the dramatic scene.
The tapestry is a timeless art form and will inspire generations to remember the tragedy through the symbolic Phoenix-image and to save the idea of hope. The tapestry is an artistic luxury and its contemporary concept can emit the spirit of this time.
KLARA TAMAS, F I N E ARTIST
Resume
KLARA TAMAS BORN ON AUGUST 20 1946, IN TIRGU-MURES TRANSILVANIA, ROMANIA, IN HUNGARIAN FAMILY
ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, "ION ANDREESCU" CLUJ-NAPOCA ROMANIA 1970 / ART DIRECTOR AT "MERIDIANE" AND "KRITERION" PUBLISHING HOUSES, BUCHAREST 1972-1982 / MEMBER OF UNION OF FINE ARTISTS SINCE 1973
US RESIDENT FROM 1992
ONE MAN SHOWS:
BUCHAREST, ROMANIA 1974, 1979 / ESSLINGEN, GERMANY 1984 /INSTITUTE FRANCAIS, BUCHAREST 1995 / CONSTANTA, ROMANIA 1985 / TIRGU JIU, ROMANIA 1985 / ARAD, ROMANIA 1986 / BAIA MARE, ROMANIA 1986 / PECS, HUNGARY 1991 / COLUMBUS OHIO HALMAGYI GALLERY 1992 / ROME, ACCADEMIA DI ROMANIA 1998 / NEW YORK, BELENKY GALLERY 1999 / TOKYO, EGG GALLERY 2000 / NEW YORK, SYMBOL GALLERY 2004
GROUP SHOWS:
GRAPHIC ART SHOW, DALLES GALLERY, BUCHAREST 1973-1988 /ROTTERDAM, HOLLAND 1977 / OXFORD, ENGLAND 1978 / LYSAKER, NORWAY 1979 / SAN FRANCISCO, USA 1982 / ATHENS, GREECE 1985 / STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN 1988 / HEIDELBERG, GERMANY 1988 / EISENSTADT, AUSTRIA AND MUNICH, GERMANY 1990 / BELGIUM TOUR 1991 / C&A GALLERY SOHO, NEW YORK 1993 / WORKS OF FIBER, JERSEY CITY NJ 1993 / LA JOLLA, CA 1995 / STUDIO 1019, WASHINGTON DC 1995 / OAK RIDGE, QUEENS NEW YORK 1997 / EAST-WEST GALLERY, NEW YORK 1997 / ART’97 VANCOUVER, CANADA 1997 / TURNER-CARROLL GALLERY, SANTA FE 1997 / THE WORLD BANK, WASHINGTON 1998 / 0.S.A. WASHINGTON 1999 / THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB “9/11 TRIBUTE”, NEW YORK 2002 / SYMBOL GALLERY, NEW YORK ”DRAMATIC REALISM”, “ANGELS” SHOW 2004
INTERNATIONAL BIENNIALS:
INTERNATIONAL PRINT BIENNIAL, CRACOW POLAND 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988 / INTERNATIONAL BIENNIAL OF GRAPHIC ARTS, LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987 / INTERNATIONAL PRINT BIENNIAL, VARNA, BULGARIA 1983, 1985, 1987 / INTERNATIONAL “PORTRAIT” BIENNIAL, TUZLA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 1988 / “PREMIO BIELLA” INTERNATIONAL PRINT TRIENNIAL, ITALY 1984 EUROPEAN PRINT BIENNIAL, BADEN-BADEN, GERMANY 1983, 1985 / LIEGE PRINT BIENNIAL, BELGIUM 1985 / GRENOBLE PRINT BIENNIAL, FRANCE 1986 / KANAGAWA PRINT EXHIBITION, JAPAN 1989 / SEOUL PRINT BIENNIAL, KOREA 1992 / LAHTI POSTER BIENNIAL, FINLAND 1981, 1983, 1985, 1987 / INTERNATIONAL POSTER BIENNIAL, WARSAW POLAND 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988 / WORLD POSTER TRIENNIAL, TOYAMA, JAPAN / 1988 / BRNO GRAPHIC DESIGN BIENNIAL, CZECHOSLOVAKIA 1986, 1988 / COLORADO INTERNATIONAL POSTER EXHIBITION, USA 1987
AWARDS, FELLOWSHIPS:
REPUBLICAN FELLOWSHIP FOR THE BEST STUDENT, CLUJ 1969-1970 / ONE YEAR FELLOWSHIP OF UNION OF FINE ARTS, ROMANIA 1973 / THE PURCHASE PRIZE OF THE SCHECHIN MUSEUM AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRINT BIENNIAL, CRACOW POLAND 1980/ GRAND PRIZE “GOLD HUGO” AT THE CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL POSTER COMPETITION 1984 / U.S.I.A. 30 DAYS INTERNATIONAL VISITOR GRANT 1987 / THE AUDIANCE AWARD TUZLA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 1988
WORKS IN MUSEUM:
ALBERTINA MUSEUM VIENNA AUSTRIA / NEMZETI GALERIA BUDAPEST HUNGARY / WARSAW POSTER MUSEUM / LAHTI POSTER MUSEUM / CENTRE GEORGE POMPIDOU PARIS
TAPESTRY COMMISSIONS:
“THE PEACKOCK” AUBUSSON STYLE TAPESTRY 109“X195” 1992 / “GATE OF SPACE” AUBUSSON STYLE TAPESTRY 84”X56”, 2003
WORKS IN ALL MEDIA IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS:
TOKYO, BUDAPEST, BUCHAREST, VIENNA, PARIS, MUNICH, NEW YORK
COLLOQUIUMS: AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT: MY ART POSTERS 1992 / ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY: DANTE“DIVINA COMMEDIA” IN MY ART WORK
PRESENCE: IN “GRAPHIS POSTER” ZURICH / “WORLD GRAPHIC DESIGN NOW” KODANSHA JAPAN 1988/ “THE MEZZOTINT” BY CAROL WAX / WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE MEMORIAL COMPETITION 2003 /”CONTEMPORARY ART STUDIO” BEIJING 2008
TRAVEL FOR STUDIES:
POLAND 1974, 1977 / EAST GERMANY 1974 / WEST GERMANY 1983,1990 / PRAGUE 1982 / HUNGARY 1973, 1990 / PARIS 1982, 2001 / GREECE 1985 / JAPAN 2000 / CHINA 2006 / FRANCE 2008
ART FAIRS: ARTEXPO 2008 NEW YORK/ INTERNATIONAL ART SHOW, CANNES 2008
POEM BOOKS: “POINT OF VIEW” BUDAPEST 2003, “ILLUMINATIONS” BUDAPEST 2005
SINCE 1995 DIRECTOR OF SYMBOL GALLERY “BETWEEN VIRTUAL AND REAL”
http://www.symbolgallerynyc.net
http://www.symbolgallery.net/klara/index.html
Address: 98-25 64th Road Apt. 7B Rego Park, NY 11374, Cell:347.820.1558 info@symbolgallerynyc.net