Orsolya Bagala – Your Past Became Gold

Experience depictions of women, mythical figures, and animalistic creatures merging together – somewhere between the living and the dead, the real and the imagined. The result is a reflection of complex emotions such as joy, fear, and concern.

Used paper bags, unfolded cardboard boxes, paper, and canvas are transformed in the hands of Bagala, who, with spontaneous yet controlled brushstrokes, almost imbues them with a soul.

Orsolya Bagala's world of motifs is rooted in personal experiences but also carries a universal character. Her works on recycled materials become a kind of feminist "Arte Povera," drawing connections back to art history.

The exhibition marks Orsolya Bagala's first solo exhibition at a Danish art museum. It is also the first retrospective museum exhibition of Bagala's extensive oeuvre, which both looks back on her earlier works and showcases entirely new productions.

About the artist

Orsolya Bagala (b. 1976, Hungary) graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 2005 and works in Copenhagen. Her works have been exhibited both nationally and internationally, including in Germany, Romania, and Egypt. In Denmark, she has exhibited at Museion in Copenhagen, KØN in Aarhus, and the Willumsen Museum in Frederikssund. In 2022, she was awarded the Jens Søndergaard and Wife Memorial Grant. Bagala's works are represented in collections such as the Kunsten Museum of Modern Art Aalborg, the National Gallery of Denmark, and the Danish Arts Foundation. Orsolya Bagala is represented by Galleri Maria Friis in Copenhagen.

^{Photo: Orsolya Bagala, Your Past Became Gold, 2024. Photographer: Karl-August Bockhahn.}