Lokal: Tell us a little about yourself and your work

Réka Király: “I’m a visual storyteller, working with various materials on different fields. I was born in Hungary into an artistic family, and I studied there and in Finland. I’m working in the field of children’s culture since 2005, simultaneously keeping up an artistic practice.”

L: How did your practice begin? what significance do your tools and materials have to you?

R. K.: “Drawing has been part of my life since childhood. There has been always a pile of paper and color pencils available on my parents’ drawing desk.

Tools and material play a significant role in my practice. I like to experiment, play and discover. Some tools I use today belonged to my father. Almost all of my tools have some special story. Using different materials is like learning and speaking various languages. One listens long before able to use it. In the same time it creates a surprising cacophony.”

L: How do you approach your works? 

R. K.: “Drawing is a way of thinking for me. My art practice is meditative, I like to work in silence. Sometimes I have some sketches as reminders, but usually I start drawing and painting with ink without a plan for the outcome. During one session I usually work on multiply pieces.

I love the strength of the black ink and how it flows on paper, the stickiness of oil pastels, how my fingertips can smudge the lines and surfaces. The whole process is filled with tactile sensation.

I’m driven by the thought to understand better the human mind and its working, the relations between people and the consequences of their interactions. All this in the shape of plants, imaginary and real ones.

L: Are there sources of inspiration that have stuck with you throughout the years?

R.K.: “I tend to pay a lot of attention to peculiar colour combinations. These I collect via photographs, sketches and samples. I’m also drawn to architecture and nature. I find it interesting how humans interact with nature. I’m particularly fond of botanic gardens and human shaped gardens. What people leave, plant or take away from these gardens as reflections of themselves in collaboration with the climate and the specific place.”

Shop: Réka Király’s Works

Explore: Lokal Creators