Ilona Lénárd

My book Powerlines is a comprehensive documentation of  my paintings from the period between 1998 and 2019. I have worked in different locations and cultures, which is reflected by the  gradual evolution from the Flow paintings to the Pattern series. As from the Flow series I have predominantly worked with acrylic markers with a wide tip, that are typically used  by graffiti artists. I have adopted a working method that can be described as a form of abstract calligraphy. Also, elements of procedural painting can be found in my work. I spread out the canvases on the ground, working all around and on the painting as to add layer by layer. The most recent Pattern paintings are documented in the beginning of the book, while the earlier Flow series are found towards the end. A special place in this book is reserved for the  Machining Emotion robotic paintings, a collaborative effort together with architects and designer-programmers, working with a large industrial robot to hold and drive the acrylic markers.

Gestures  > Paintings > Carpets

The speed of my gestures is essential to my working process, I want to avoid deliberate thinking, I need to surprise myself while painting.

I  paint with speed and force by releasing intuitive and energetic series of procedural gestures, leaving traces of acrylic markers and pattern rollers on the canvases.

I spread out the canvas on the floor of the studio,

I work around and on the painting, adding layer by layer to achieve a universal depth in the painting.

The tufted carpets are digitally constructed interpretations of my earlier paintings

The Victory Boogie Woogie painting by Mondrian is clearly inspired by the busy streets and urban blocks of Manhattan. In her recent 3d printed series of MyMondrian Ilona Lénárd pushes Mondrian’s last unfinished painting into the third dimension, therewith evoking the image of urban blocks and street canyons.

The colour fields of the Victory Boogie Woogie are translated using Rhino / Grasshopper visual programming into different heights for the smaller and bigger squares. The path of the 3d printing head is designed to randomly wiggle and sway along its course as to avoid a too clinical build-up of the layers.

The first 3d printed version is the MyMondrian Black, produced by 3D Robot Printing in Rotterdam. A black polypropylene mix is pumped into the printed end-effector of a big robot arm, which printed layer for layer the large work of art in a number of pieces that fit together to form the whole.

For the printing procedure pure gcode was written by ONL / Hyperbody alumnus Arwin Hidding, therewith bypassing proprietary firmware with its built-in limitations how to operate the robot arm. The challenge set by the artist directly inspired a technical innovation in 3d robotic printing !