Henrik Martin is a representative of the post-conceptual generation that emerged after the turn of the millennium, using both classic and digital techniques. His work, which has an entirely individual tone, is defined by the cosmic and metaphysical themes he depicts with a variety of tools.
Born in Siófok, Henrik Martin graduated from the Department of Painting of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in 2004. The liberation of Eastern philosophies from Western egoism played a key role in his thinking. Even his early works explored metaphysics through the perspective of the universe and space exploration, often with a playful and imaginative realisation of his scientific interest. Among his works of diverse techniques are lenticular computer graphics of wave fields, black and white oil paintings of the moon's craters, a bear sculpture carved from granite, andesite meteor sculpture and a geometric meditation object. His iconic motif is the "space Buddha", the figures of an astronaut in a helmet and a meditating Buddha kneaded together. Since the mid-2010s, the role of painting in his art has intensified. His astrometric view of the movement of celestial bodies led him to the four-dimensional geometry he analyses in his images through the cube. In addition to cosmic perspectives, his paintings seek possible answers to the fundamental philosophical question “Who am I?”. His multi-layered oil paintings, covered with nylon foil and with a pastose surface, show spherical or stain-like colourful appearances in a semi-matte grey box. The artist explained the spiritual origin of his series, titled Hieron after the Greek word for "sanctified", which was launched in 2020: "In the sacred space, the reality of the mystery of existence opens up as a content, which we could say that this space itself is identified with the superspace reality of the mystery of existence." Martin is a frequent participant in national group exhibitions, but also regularly introduces his work in solo exhibitions. He lives in Budapest and works at the Old Artists' Colony in Szentendre.
Gábor Rieder