It's been over 2 years since we first introduced the captivating figure-based works by Akos Ezer and we are thoroughly enjoying following the development of his practice and the successful presentations he's been lining up one after the other. After conquering Europe with his solo show in Paris last year, Hungarian artist is currently taking over Asia with a solo debut Let The Time Pass, over at AishoNanzuka in Hong Kong, on view until April 17th.

"I decided to stay positive and put my extra time and energy into new works, that helps me speed up time," Ezer told us about a year ago when we checked with him for our Art in Uncertain Times series of features. And such sentiment is surely evident in Let The Time Pass, both through the title itself and the general atmosphere of the works. Featuring both paintings and sculpture, this coherent presentation is revolving around his signature subjects, mostly depicted bent and twisted in the moments of anticipation and solitude. Using their ludicrous postures as the metaphor for the human struggle to deal with both physical and psychical challenges of everyday reality, the artist is slowing things down with this particular body of work by including fewer group scenes or images capturing any dynamics.

Made in the year of pandemic, the pieces are representing the continuous sense of anxiety we've been experiencing in the past year. Whether hiding behind the cigarette smoke, lush foliage, raindrops, or tree branches, their featureless faces seem to be agitated about the unknown outcome of their current situation. The portrayal of subjects camouflaging into everyday scenes is reminescing of the viral GIF of Homer Simpson disappearing backward into a hedge, which is the universal sign for the desire to disappear from an awkward situation. The general clumsiness and insecurity are further accentuated with the way they're interacting both with their surroundings and everyday objects such as a flower, a can of soda, phone, beer bottle, etc. Tangled within their own neverending limbs, they "seem to express the feelings of young people bewildered by the ever-changing and expanding modern society."

Besides the deliciously thick canvases in which linear color scales are constructing the bodies and bold marks of thick oils construct their surroundings, Ezer has included a new series of sculptural works in this presentation. "That’s really fun and gives new perspectives to express my thoughts," the artist told us when he started recreating his characters in three-dimensional sculptures one year ago. And during that year, he successfully developed a process to translate his canvas visuals into a sculptural sphere, keeping the general aesthetic, their textures, and the color play of the "original" into ceramics, while utilizing the new possibilities. The strong interest in this new medium resulted in the first sculptural edition work Delivery Man which was released for this exhibition. —Sasha Bogojev