Erika Balogh

Statement

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.

Artworks

My research interest include social and economic disparity, exploitation, alienation, and exploring alternatives to capitalism. In my 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.

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.