During recent coverage for Art in Uncertain Times, we checked in with Akos Ezer over in Hungary and got an early peek at new works he’s preparing for his solo debut with Droste Gallery's new space in Paris. Memories of The Future officially opened on June 4th, introducing a weight new series of mostly medium and big scale canvases, as well as two sculptures.

We've featured Akos Ezer's work in the past and admire his willingness to embrace an array of painting techniques and the resulting arresting visuals. With an appetite for thick layers of vibrant oils and decisive gestures, the artist relates stories dominated by soul-searching characters, who like himself are formed by memories and forge through life.Vigorous color scales pulsate on the canvas in almost plasticine movement, diving and re-emerging through the changing winds of life.

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In his newest body of work, Ezer utilizes even brighter, punchier hues to create a contrast between oversaturated, flushed skin and patterned fabrics and surroundings. Portraying his protagonist waiting, eating, chatting, having a smoke or a drink, their impassive expressions and contorted postures betray the ambivalency that challenges even everyday activities. The large scale of most of the works dramatizes the impact, and what first elicits a grin, then shivers the skin.

Aside from mostly big scale oils on canvas, the exhibition includes some smaller crayon and acrylic pieces on paper, two new ceramic sculptures that transform his visuals into 3D, marking a release of a limited edition print titled Reaching. The exhibition will stay on view through 27th of June. —Sasha Bogojev