The exhibition Question of Viewpoint showcases the artist's most recent works, characterised by a refined and reduced formal language. The geometric forms that define the pieces do not appear as rigid, definitive shapes but rather as variations and repetitions of broad bands and translucent slices of color fields. Geometry, therefore, functions not as a rigid structure but as a poetic element, with the compositions achieving a unique rhythm through a balance between structure and sensuality. Transparency is a key compositional element in these works, softening the forms while enhancing the spatial experience. Along the surfaces that filter through each other, new shapes and tones emerge, with airy layers of color introducing lightness and sensuality into the world of geometric abstraction, typically marked by sharp edges and defined contours. While the overlaps and transitions in form and color create a sense of depth on the level of optical illusion, the works reject hierarchical compositional principles. Instead, the image structure develops through the layering of planes that are almost indistinguishable from one another. In addition, colour serves not merely as a decorative element but as a sensory and emotional force within the works. A consistent palette of colors and forms links the diverse media presented in the exhibition, which include oil paintings, plaster stucco applied to panels, and textile works. The latter form a unique bridge between analog and digital image-making, as they are based on Jacquard weaving. This 19th-century technique, which employed punch-card-operated looms for pattern design, is considered a precursor to digital data processing. Thus, Vilim's textile works simultaneously evoke traditional painting techniques and the logic of computer-generated imagery. The variety of techniques and media used in the exhibited works results in diverse textures, which can be perceived either optically or tactilely. As such, the materiality of the surfaces is as significant as the internal logic of the compositions.

The formal repetitions observed in the works are notably non-mechanical but rather variable: the uniqueness and rhythm of the formal permutations create both cohesion and freedom. Vilim’s creations reject any form of narrativity or referentiality; they do not point beyond themselves, depict, or “mean” anything. Instead, they function as a kind of visual sign system that leaves open the possibilities for free association and interpretation. The abstract forms in her works are neither signifiers nor symbols; rather, they are open visual structures that do not carry direct meanings but instead become imbued with meaning through the viewer’s experience. The title thus refers not only to the viewer’s spatial position but also to the unique relationship in which perception and interpretation transform into personal experience. The artwork is not a closed unit of meaning but a dialogue—its meaning always arises in the interaction between the viewer and the creation. The images do not convey predetermined content but reveal their potential meanings through attentive and sensitive engagement. Meaning, therefore, is not preordained but emerges in the act of reception, shaped by the interpreter’s presence and relationship with the work.

The central questions of the exhibited works—interactions of form and color, as well as the viewer’s processes of perception and interpretation—address traditional issues of painting that Kati Vilim reinterprets. By expanding the boundaries of the medium, her works open space for contemporary visual experiences. The creations aim to extend painting through an exploration of the interplay between techniques, supports, material qualities, tactile and optical dimensions, and the permeability between analog and digital imagery. The exhibition Question of Perspective highlights the inexhaustible potential inherent in the traditional tools of painting, interpreting the classical medium not as a closed, static system but as a living dialogue between tradition and contemporary visuality. It underscores the capacity of the medium for continuous transformation and renewal.

Zsófi MÁTÉ