Origo-meter; “In the living space of geometry.”
4/2 – 25/2 2022
Virág Judit Galéria | Budapest | Hungary
This exhibition presents a selection of recent works by László Ottó created over the past few years, in which the artist develops his exploration of what he calls a metaphysical conceptual geometry. His practice occupies a space where geometric abstraction becomes a tool to investigate invisible structures of thought and experience, rather than a purely formal or decorative system.
In this framework, geometry functions as a device for reflection. Ottó approaches the modern abstraction tradition from a perspective that revisits both its historical foundations and its relevance to contemporary sensibilities. His compositions are guided by a rigorous logic, yet remain open to interpretations that extend beyond the mere organization of the pictorial plane. The reference to “metaphysics” is not meant to convey explicit symbolic narratives, but rather to evoke a spatial dimension suggesting conceptual depth within seemingly simple structures.
A central element in his painting is the use of black as a field of chromatic experimentation. Far from being a uniform color, Ottó develops a palette composed of numerous tonal variations achieved through his own mixing techniques, echoing, in some ways, the technical tradition of the old masters. These subtle modulations create surfaces where small differences in texture, sheen, and density generate delicate perceptual vibrations. Black thus becomes an immersive space, a surface suggesting infinite depth through strictly pictorial means.
The compositional organization of his works often begins with a central core that acts as a structuring principle. From this point, configurations unfold based on rhythmic repetitions of geometric elements, producing visual fields that seem to expand from within the canvas. This method introduces a particular dynamism: the flat, repeated, and modulated forms acquire an almost organic quality, as if the painting were describing processes of growth or expansion within a carefully constructed mental space.
The resulting compositions evoke abstract architectures in which repetition, rhythm, and symmetry function as vectors of perception. Spirals, modules, and geometric sequences build what the artist conceives as “living spaces,” configurations where formal precision coexists with a contemplative dimension. In this way, his work occupies the intersection of geometric rigor and philosophical speculation, proposing a painting in which the canvas surface becomes a field for exploring the conceptual possibilities of form.