Eszter Szabó’s works are mostly non-narrative, conceptual videos that are animated versions of her own paintings. She creates drawings, oil paintings, and aquarelles, and she works equally with 2D and 3D animation. She researches manifestations of social processes. She often confronts the aesthetics of the status quo with the ordinariness of everyday life.
She has established a certain perceptual practice in which, instead of perceiving the extraordinary, she directs her focus on the ordinary. By recognising notions of familiarity, some invisible perspectives are revealed. She is interested in the traces of social and political processes that manifest in small attributes. All her works are a combination of both generalisation and non-judgmental observation, as well as mixing blurred half-truths with razor-sharp details.
Her aquarelles and oils are made with quick gestures over light surfaces with thin layers. Her videos deal with details that happen in seconds. She considers her videos as extended versions of her paintings and she installs them accordingly. She uses traditional techniques as well as digital media. In her recent works, she mixes 3D animation with digital simulations and experiments with the randomness and glitches generated.
Her themes often revolve around the realities of everyday (Eastern European) women. In her most recent works, she is embedding printed reproductions of old, classical 15th-16th century portraits, transferring some typical spirits ( ie.: anger, boredom, irritation, tiredness) to a contemporary context. Currently, she is working on video sculptures that are combined with paintings, drawings, and prints.
