Erika Balogh
THE POWER OF COLORS AND SYMBOLISM
My bi-cultural background has greatly shaped my identity and
influenced my artwork as well. When I moved to the United States, I
left behind a traditional part of my life associated with my Hungarian
heritage, my childhood memories, and my family. I entered into an
utterly different culture; a more modern and eclectic society that
completely changed my life. However, aspects of my Hungarian
traditions continue to form my artwork and my self-presentation.
Through my artworks, I explore the power of colors and symbolism. The five-pointed star, the pentagram, is a well-recognized symbol all around the world. It has been used by many companies as a trademark or as a symbol on numerous national flags.
“Never-never Land”
My research interest include social and economic disparity,
exploitation, alienation, and exploring alternatives to
capitalism. In this artwork the five-pointed star represents a
utopian society. The red star is a well-recognized symbol of
communism. This form of socioeconomic system is a brilliant
ideology, however, in reality it seems it is an untenable way of
organizing society. Each pentagram inscribed in a pentagon
represents an individual with distinctive characteristics as they
come together to generate a greater whole – a unity. But there is
no perfect unity, as it is not possible to form a tiling using
pentagons.
“Unity”
Symbol associations are common to all people. However, symbols
have different meanings to each individual. Some symbols have
universal meaning while others can vary dramatically between
cultures. For example the five-pointed star is often connected
with the human body. In my artwork this symbol represents the
union of opposites, generally expressed as male and female, in
order to generate a greater whole – a unity. But there is no
perfect unity, as it is not possible to form a tiling using
pentagons.