Ilona Szalay was born in 1975 in Beirut and is now based in London. She studied at Oxford University and Byam Shaw, University of the Arts.

Ilona's paintings trace a path through a world of conflict and power play, a place of rigid hierarchy and fierce competition. Using a spare, concise visual language the work explores notions of vulnerability and beauty, dominance and submission, violence and control.

There is an intensely visceral quality to the recent paintings, a sense of abundance, of gorging, stuffing or flooding, and a sense that something is being simultaneously illuminated and obliterated. This sweeping away is combined with tight pockets of controlled activity. These knotted, or knitted, places tell of beings grappling with one another in ways both hostile and benign.

Her work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy, and in addition to being among the winners of the 2013 ORA Prize, she has recently been selected for the Threadneedle Prize 2012 and the National Open Art Competition 2012, two of the most prestigious awards in the United Kingdom.

Rebecca Hossack Gallery
28 Charlotte Street, Fitzrovia
London W1T 2NA United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)20 72552828
info@rebeccahossack.com
http://www.rebeccahossack.com/

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