Metanoia Storage Closet (overunderground) – material handicap of meditation objects

May 16–31, 2015

„Pero’s (Zoltán Perovics) theatre is the theatre of order, where the objects and the lights and the texts and the actors respond to one-another, like a good old Swiss timepiece. This man is possessed with theatre. This man has visions, and this man catches his visions with a ring-net and casts them into iron, into light, 220 Volts and levers, in order to give them back to the world of spirits. He is possessed from the caste of Van Gogh and Artaud.” (Péter Halász)

„Frankly, the thing at issue here is the intensity of the creative human being’s ability ‘to be with him/herself’, without any particular effort. From a certain point of view, this question is rather ironic and, indeed, an evil question, I admit. The importance of the question is immediately comprehended by those who are affected by it, and it says nothing to those who are outside the circle of the ones affected. Now, as for this ‘figure’ called Pero, whose spirit and activity made me speak the above words, and whose works, theatrical creatures we’ve come to look at in this exhibition hall, as far as this figure Pero is concerned, I can safely posit that, at any moment in his life, without any extra effort, ‘he is always with himself’. This is an almost unique performance! (…) Now let me say a few words about these strange objects around us, about these unique mementos of Pero’s theatrical activity..” (András Jeles)

Zoltán Perovics founded his experimental theater called Metanoia Artopedia in Szeged in 1990, of which he is still the director, set designer and visual designer. His comprehensive artistic concept is characterized by laboratory thinking, genre experimentation and formal innovations, its focus is based on an homage to the (Neo) avant-garde and the esthetics of “NO! Art” and it is defined by him as “art against art against anti-art”. His visionary perspective and the antidote to the abuses of the meaning of metanoia are also emphasized by the concept of Artopedia in the name of the company, which is a fusion of art and orthopedy. In addition to the country’s major cities, the productions and works of fine art by Perovics have been praised at artistic events in Serbia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Belarus, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, France and Belgium.

Metanoia Storage Closet is a selected collection of mechanical object installations and meditation objects made for Metanoia Artopédia’s theater performances and general art events, which in recent decades have been presented according to different concepts of selection and theme, alongside various professional programs (opening performance, guided exhibition tour, round table discussion, theater performance, etc.), in front of both local and foreign audiances.

Arthopedlandia is a combination of the words art, orthopedic, and land – it also refers to the miserable, active, freely expanding realm of imagination. Art: art. Orthopedics: a medical field dealing with abnormalities and treatment of the musculoskeletal system, such as scoliosis, club foot, hip dislocation, etc. Land: land, inland, countryside, landing, shore, public area, road, lane, landscape, soil, country, etc. Land art emphasizes the importance of the earth as the home of humankind. Metanoia has different meanings depending on the context: it is a twist of meaning or thought, a change of mindset, an inversion, rebirth, and so on. Arthopedlandia works as an antidote to all the crimes humankind committed against living nature and its living beings, and its collection activates the various pieces of junk from the experiments of Metanoia Arthopaedics which are decomposing into eternity. Art against Art against Anti-Art.

Exhibiting artist: Metanoia Artopédia

Curator: Zoltán Perovics

Venue: Patyolat, Próbaüzem (1085 Budapest, Baross utca 85.)