Sándor Bartha
b. 1962, Odorheiu-Secuiesc, Romania
Lives and works in Budapest, Hungary
The artistic practice of Sándor Bartha conveys personal messages with a political, ironical twist on the current state of things on a national or international level, through playful, clever and skilful strategies. His works combine different media, such as drawing, painting, installation or photography, and have been shown in the Prague Biennial (2003), in the Romanian Pavilion at The Venice Biennale (2001) and in exhibitions at the Ludwig Museum (Budapest, 2003), Kulturkontakt (Vienna, 1997 with an adjacent artistic residency program). In 2006 he was granted a residency in Hamburg by the Hamburg Kulturbehörde and in 2002 he received a grant from the ECF (European Cultural Foundation) inside the ID (Intercultural Dialogue) residency-program Kassel. He teaches at the Art Faculty of the Partium University in Oradea, Romania.
Studies:
1982–1986 – studied at the National University of Arts Bucharest, Painting Department
Solo-shows (selection)
2019 – Identități variabile / Variable Identities (Ivan Gallery, Bucharest)
2016 – Poszttraumatikus tájak / Post-Traumatic Landscapes (MKE Doktori Iskola, nagyműterem, Budapesta)
2015 – Mai mult ca sintaxă / More Than Syntax (Galeria At Home, Samorin, Szlovakia)
2015 – Dispozitive pentru o lume mai bună / Slides for a Better World (Arad Art Museum, Romania)
2010 – Liget Gallery (Budapest)
2009 – New Icons (Ivan Gallery, Bucharest); Holdudvar Gallery (Budapest)
2005 – Ganz Mávag Tour (Budapest Autumn Festival, Budapest); Vármegye Gallery (Budapest)
2004 – MM Gallery (Budapest)
2003 – Óbudai Társaskör Gallery (Budapest)
2002 – Liget Gallery (Budapest)
2000 – MAMŰ Gallery (Budapest)
1997 – Kulturkontakt (Vienna)
1996 – Hungarian Cultural Center (Bucharest)
1990 – Orizont Gallery (Bucharest)
Selected group exhibitions
2017 – ArtEncounters Biennial 2nd Edition (Timișoara, Romania)
2015 – REMX (The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest); Arad Mall, Arad, Romania); Narratív konfigurációk (MAMŰ Gallery, Budapest); ArtEncounters Biennial 1st Edition (Timișoara, Romania); AHG 20 (At Home Gallery, Samorin, Slovacia); Give Me Five (Galeria Magma, Sfantu Gheorghe, Romania); Underline (MAMŰ Gallery, Budapest)
2014 – R.A.M. – Random Acces Memory (Arad Art Museum, Arad, Romania)
2013 – Paper, Sketch (Labor Gallery, Budapest); My Dear Clown (Ivan Gallery, Bucharest); Crowd Insurance (Galeria Akvárium, Budapest); Time-Dependence (Veszprém, Hungary; Sf. Gheorghe, Romania; Tg. Mureș, Romania)
2012 – Requisites (MAMŰ Gallery, Budapest); :the 2 collections // :a 2 gyűjtemény // :2 colecții (UAP Gallery, Tg. Mures, Romania); 20 Years: KulturKontakt Austria – Mail Art project + exhibition (ViennaFair); Mamű Média Mú Theater (Budapest)
2011 – One Day Exhibition (Mamű Gallery, Budapest)
2010 – When History Comes Knocking (Plan B Gallery, Berlin)
2008 – Design Reloaded (Budapest)
2006 – On Difference #2 (Stuttgart, Germany)
2004 – Budapest: Errances (La Carosse, Paris)
2003 – Personal Places (A+A Gallery, Venice); Poesis. The everyday Differently (Műcsarnok, Budapest); Moszkva Tér (Ludwig Museum, Budapest); Prague Biennial (Prague)
2002 – One Minute for an Image (Institute for Contemporary Art, Dunaújváros)
2001 – Service (Műcsarnok, Budapest); Crossing points (Metro station Budapest); Context Network, 49-th Venice Biennial, Romanian Pavilion
2001–2000 – Transferatu (IFA Bonn, IFA Berlin)
2000 – Unplugged (Tg. Mureș, Romania)
1999 – Steam (Turkish Bath, Iași, Romania)
1998 – Proiection (UAP Gallery, Tg. Mureș, Romania)
1997 – Experiment în arta românească după 1960 (Etaj 3⁄4 Gallery, Bucharest)
1996 – Complexul Muzeal (Arad Art Museum, Arad, Romania); Civitas Solis, Civitas Artis (Calnic, Romania)
1995 – INTER(n) (Arad Art Museum, Arad, Romania); MediA Culpa (Institute of Arhitecture, Bucharest)
1994 – Art Unlimited Ltd (Arad Art Museum, Arad, Romania); 01010101…..exhibition (The Romanian Peasant’s Museum, Bucharest); Medium 3 (Sf.Gheorghe, Romania); Orient-Occident (Timișoara Art Museum, Timișoara, Romania)
1992 – The Earth (Timișoara Art Museum, Timișoara, Romania); Mozart’s Sex (Etaj 3⁄4 Gallery, Bucharest)
Awards and grants
2006 – Grant of the Hamburg Kulturbehörde (residency-program, Hamburg)
2002 – Grant of the ECF (European Cultural Foundation) ID (Intercultural dialogue) residency-program (Kassel)
1999 – Award of the Drawing Biennial Arad
1997 –”Kulturkontakt” Grant, Austria, (residency-program Vienna)
1993 – “Diet Sayler” Grant
1990 – Award for Graphic Art, Ministry of Culture, Romania
Bibliography:
Alexandra Titu (coord.), Experiment in Romanian Art since 1960, Soros Center for Contemporary Art, Bucharest, 1997, pp. 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 62, 63, 104, 105, 107, 151, 152
Timotei Nădășan (coord.), Bartha Sándor (texts by Alexandra Titu and Judit Angel), Soros Center for Contemporary Art, Bucharest, 1996