Melinda Torok

Melinda Torok

Melinda Torok (°1976, Belgrade, Serbia) is an artist who works in a variety of media. By experimenting with aleatoric processes, Torok wants to amplify the astonishment of the spectator by creating compositions or settings that generate tranquil poetic images that leave traces and balances on the edge of recognition and alienation.

Her artworks doesn’t reference recognisable form. The results are deconstructed to the extent that meaning is shifted and possible interpretation becomes multifaceted. By applying a poetic and often metaphorical language, she formalizes the coincidental and emphasizes the conscious process of composition that is behind the seemingly random works. The thought processes, which are supposedly private, highly subjective and unfiltered in their references to dream worlds, are frequently revealed as assemblages.

Her works establish a link between the landscape’s reality and that imagined by its conceiver. These works focus on concrete questions that determine our existence. By applying abstraction, she creates intense personal moments masterfully created by means of rules and omissions, acceptance and refusal, luring the viewer round and round in circles.

Her works appear as dreamlike images in which fiction and reality meet, well-known tropes merge, meanings shift, past and present fuse. Time and memory always play a key role. By exploring the concept of landscape in an abstract way, she investigates the dynamics of landscape, including the manipulation of its effects and the limits of spectacle based on our assumptions of what landscape means to us. Rather than presenting a factual reality, an illusion is fabricated to conjure the realms of our imagination.

Her works feature coincidental, accidental and unexpected connections which make it possible to revise art history and, even better, to complement it. Combining unrelated aspects lead to surprising analogies. Melinda Torok currently lives and works in Subotica.

Master's exibition, with the title "Transformations" Opened on November 24. 2005 in the Gallery of Likovni susret, Subotica (Serbia)
...Main theme of this exhibiton is the transformation of face (selfportrait) experimenting with large possibilities of styles, techniques and expressions. Inspired by the "Exercises de style" by Raymond Queneau. It can be observed in many ways, as a sort of visual diary of the artist...

Paintings with title "Birth of Idea" I, II, III

An exhibition of 40 paintings that were painted between 2003 - 2006. Opened on 11. 10. 2006. In the Town Museum in Ruma.

MFA (Master of Fine Arts)
Born in 1976 in Belgrade (Serbia). Graduated at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgrade (Painting Dep.) in 2002. Mastered at the same school in 2005. Member of ULUS (Serbian Association of Fine Artists). Teaches visual art at the Teachers Training Faculty in Subotica.

Solo exhibitions:

2013. Magyar Ház, Subotica
2012. „Artist’s Book – Book Art” Melinda Torok and Laura Péity Sagmeister, City Library, Subotica
2012. „Artist’s Book – Book Art” Melinda Torok and Laura Péity Sagmeister, Teacher Training Faculty, Subotica
2011. Art Gallery, Topolya
2010. Artworks of Torok Sándor and Torok Melinda – Dobó Tihamér Gallery, Magyarkanizsa
2009. „A Story of an Art Studio - Egy műterem története - Priča jednog ateljea” exibition of Sándor and Melinda Torok , Night of Museums, City Museum, Subotica
2007 Paintings - Teacher Training Faculty, Subotica
2006 “Transformacije” Zavičajni muzej, Ruma
2005 “Transformations”- Master Exhibition, FLU Gallery, Belgrade; Likovni susret Gallery, Subotica
2004 “Poetry of Space”- paintings at the Factory Cafe Gallery, Subotica.
2003 Exhibition of drawings, “Paleta” Gallery, Cultural Centre of Belgrade.
1995 “Le premier Chemin”- solo exhibition in Subotica (Serbia), Art Gallery of the Subotica Gymnasium.


Major group exhibitions (selection):

2014. 3rd. International Watercolor Biennial, Gallery A, Belgrade

2010. Night of Museums: A New Beginning: The First Decade of the 21st Century, Likovni susret Gallery, Subotica

2009. VODA/VÍZ/WATER (45th Art Meeting), Likovni susret Gallery, Subotica

2008. International Miniature Exhibition, Likovni susret Gallery, Subotica

2007. Hommage à Master / Hódolat a mesternek - 4th. International Mail-Art Exhibition, Aula Galéria, Debrecen

2005. - Summer Exhibition of the Civis Gallery, Hajduszoboszlo, Hungary
- Pastel Exhibition, MBWA Gallery, Nowy Sacz, Poland….

2004. - “YU Palette of Youth” ( 9 authors), Vrbas, Serbia
- Exhibition of the 9+1 Art Group, Cultural Centre, Stara Moravica, Serbia
- Winter Exhibition of the Civis Gallery, Hajduszoboszlo, Hungary

2003. - International Exhibition of Miniature, Kaposvar Hungary
- New Members of ULUS, Cvijeta Zuzoric Pavilion, Belgrade, Serbia
- International Painting Exhibition, Gyor, Hungary
- “Awakening”, exhibition of drawings (5 authors), National Theatre, YU FEST, Subotica, Serbia
- 6th Traveling Exhibition of JMMT “Print and Drawing of Vojvodina 2003”, Open University Subotica
- “25th Anniversary of the 9+1 Art Group”, Stara Moravica, Serbia

2002. - Exhibition of the 9+1 Art Group, Cultural Centre, St. Moravica, Serbia
- Group Show, L’ Albaron, Bessans, France
- 5th Traveling Exhibition of JMMT – “The Sincerity of Creation”, Likovni susret Gallery, Subotica
(Backa Topola, Stara Moravica, Senta, Novi Sad)
- Winter Exhibition of Civis Gallery, Hajduszoboszlo, Hungary

2001. - “Drawing 2001”, Gallery of the cultural centre “Studentski Grad”, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
- “Art of Subotica 2001”, “Likovni susret” gallery, Subotica, Yugoslavia
- XIII National Portrait Biennale, Hatvan, Hungary
- Autumn Salon, Debrecen, Hungary

2000. - I International Biennale of Miniature, Czestochowa, Poland

1999. - Portrait Exhibition, N.U. “Braca Stamenkovic”, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
- Exhibition of Debrecen Town, Debrecen, Hungary
- XII National Portrait Biennale, Hatvan, Hungary



ARTIST’S WORKSHOPS (selection)

• International Art Colony, Berekfurdo, Hungary ( 1999., 2000. 2002)
• “CIVIS” International Art Colony, Hajduszoboszlo, Hungary ( 1999., 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008)
• IX Art Camp, Kalenic, Yugoslavia ( 2000.)
• Art Camp in Kotor, Montenegro ( 2001.)
• “9+1” art group, Stara Moravica, Yugoslavia ( 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
• International Artist’s Workshop, Bessans, France ( 2002)
• Artist’s Workshop in Bogutovacka banja, Yugoslavia ( 2003, 2005)
• “Triangle” Artist’s Workshop, Savino Selo, Yugoslavia ( 2004)
• 2nd International Pastel Plain Air Workshop, Nowy Sacz, Poland ( 2005)

AWARDS

FORUM Artist Award (2013.)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ljiljana Todorovic - “Kalenic 2000”, catalog p. 18;

Sava Stepanov - „Likovno stvaralaštvo Subotice 2001”, Likovni susret Subotica, catalog, p. 3 - 4;

Marija Tanasković - “U potrazi za sopstvenim likovnim pismom”, Rukovet, no. 5/8 for 2002. p. 61-62;

Marija Kopunović - “Sudbina umetnika”, Dani, no. 3/ Sept. 2003. p. 10;

Mile Tasić - “Poetika prostora – izložba Melinde Torok”, Dani, no. 29, 21 July 2004. p.42;

Olga Kovačev Ninkov – “Nasmešeni pačvork portret”, katalog- Melinda Torok:
Transformacije: Likovni susret, 24. 10. 2005 Subotica;

Ivana St. Maksimović - “Transformacije” Melinde Torok”,Dani, no. 44/ 2 Nov. 2005. p.32.

Mile Tasić- “Transformacije Melinde Torok”,
tekst za emisiju iz kulture, City TV, Subotica, novembar 2005.

Kerekes Sándor- “Torok Melinda intelligens leckemegoldása”
Hét Nap, 2005. nov.16.