( January the 1st 1973 Oradea, Romania - 25th November 2005 Oradea )
His interest toward the visual fine arts started in the '90s; in the years 1992-1995 he was the student of the "Francisc Hubic" School of Fine Arts, and then between 1995 - 2000 he was an undergraduate in the "Ioan Andreescu" Academy of Visual Arts, painting department, Cluj - Napoca.
His years of study are to be considered as very productive, as results of which, besides the passionate thematic and figurative seeking, already by at the beginning of his artistic career, he can actually step up with a coherent, well - worked out and - established style.
His professional surrounding welcomes his works with amazement. He was forced to accept this during his years of faculty; however very few could see the real motive of this perplex, the reason of which wasn't anything else, but the reluctant confrontation with reality.
The concept of reality of the art criticism seems more and more trivial, and glides as an indifferent soft cliche before the eyes of the art - seekers. However, we are not talking about a cliche now, but about the reality of Jakab Elek by which one cannot pass with pink illusions.
The artistic reality of Jakab Elek grabs one's interest because he could depict life with such a liberality and jauntiness that staggers- but strokes you down at the same time with all these contrasts: pathos - kiss, tensness - opportunism, needs - passion, defiance - collapse, love, devotion - passing.
Jakab Elek was able to tune himself emotionally with staggering penetration and effectivness to those junctions, which marked, - and still mark His life, our lives; and would provide a visible form to his works from his deep experiences with the same intensive gestures.
His diligence, his intensive formal and subject-matter did not remain unfruitful - they moulded him into such an artist who, as till young, could wander in the realm of the visiual creation with such maturity and ease, that offers the viewer a liberating feeling, as well.
His diligence, his intensive formal and subject-matter did not remain unfruitful - they moulded him into such an artist who, as till young, could wander in the realm of the visiual creation with such maturity and ease, that offers the viewer a liberating feeling, as well.
Artistic studies:
1992-1995:"Francisc Hubic" School of Fine Arts, painting department, Oradea.
1995-2000: "Ioan Andreescu" Academy of Visual Arts, painting department, Cluj Napoca.
He exhibited paintings starting from 1994.
Collective exhibitions:
1994: "Tibor Erno"Gallery, Oradea.
1995: National Fine Arts Exhibition, Piatra Neamt
1995: "U.A.P." Gallery, Oradea
1996: "Varadinum", Christian University from the region of Partium, Oradea.
1997: International Student Festival, Fine Arts Museum, Timisoara.
1997: "Lucian Blaga" University Library, Cluj Napoca.
1997: "Student Art", Culture Palace, Targu Mures (Neumarkt).
1998: Transit House, Synagogue, Cluj Napoca.
1998: "Wass Albert" Commemorative exhibition, Public Theatre, Targu Mures.
1999: "Students" House, Cluj Napoca.
1999: "Faktor", K.L. Gallery, Cluj Napoca.
1999: "Commemorative Exhibition of the Romanian Revolution from 1989", Timisoara.
2000: "Students" House, Cluj Napoca.
2000: "Artistic and Caricature Festival", Budapest, Hungary.
2000: "Interethnic Dialogue", Union of Arts Gallery, Cluj Napoca.
2001: "Varadinum", Posticum, Oradea.
2002: "Art-Flexum", Museum of Hansag, Mosonmagyarovar, Hungary.
2003: "The Day of Hungarian Culture", Baroque Palace, Museum, Oradea.
2003: "Ady Endre", Tibor Erno Gallery, Oradea.
2003: "Ady Endre", Baroque Palace, Museum, Oradea.
2004: Winter Exhibition, "Tibor Erno" Gallery, Oradea.
2005: Caritative exhibition for the victims of tsunami,"Tibor Erno" Gallery, Oradea.
2005: His works took part in the V-th edition of the International Biennale of Contemporary Art from Florence, where He was offered a posthumous Lorenzo al Magnifico award. ( See below )
Individual exhibitions:
1996: "Situations", "The 4th Hungarian Presbyterian Global Meeting", Oradea.
1998: "Myself", Mathias (Corvin) House, Cluj Napoca.
2000: "The Human Comedy", The Hungarian State Opera and Theatre, Cluj Napoca.
2001: "Recognition", "Bernady Gyorgy" Cultural Foundation, Targu Mures.
2001: "Initio", The Cultural Centre of the Hungarian Republic, Bucuresti.
2004: "Touches", "Tibor Erno" Gallery, Oradea.
His paintings appeared in public collections in Romania and Hungary, but also in private collections in Germany, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, Romania and Hungary.
" The theme of my art deals with the questions of human existence, and its existential status, which I try to depict stylistically with the synthesis of spontaneity of the expressive figurativeness and with the intellectualism of the conceptual approach. " J.Elek |
