At the Window of Asia

Attila Konnyu occupies a prominent position within the trajectory of International Color Abstraction, his practice representing a sustained, four-decade inquiry into the metaphysical and affective potentialities of color and form. This exhibition, Meditation, brings together a significant body of work in which Attila Konnyu investigates the phenomenology of perception and the spiritual dimensions of artistic expression. Through a deeply personal visual language, the artist constructs compositions that are both materially grounded and conceptually transcendent, inviting viewers into a space of contemplative engagement. Within his color palette, we also perceive shifting gestures that form three-dimensional impressions, evoking a sense of relief and sculptural presence, another essential aspect of his work. Red and blue dominate his color language, functioning almost as a personal emblem of his abstract style. I categorize his work into "reds" and "blues." In the red-toned works, Attila Konnyu employs brilliant crimson, conveying an overflowing intensity - an illusion of spiritual fervor, as if the lifeblood of artistic passion were bursting forth from his veins. There is an invisible force in this passion, one that deeply stirs the viewer’s emotions. These red works often feature a dynamic tension between red and black. The black, like drifting smoke, permeates the red space with a sense of disorder and mystery. Attila Konnyu once said, “Anyone who wants to see the light must risk the darkness.” His blue-toned works are profound and romantic, dominating the visual field. Occasionally, hints of orange and bright yellow appear, like starlight shimmering in a deep ocean. The mysterious black forms in these compositions seem to extend endlessly into our nervous system; active, rich, and highly sensitive. These paintings evoke boundless reverie and reflect the artist’s unique perception of the world. If we are to categorize his work, I would place Attila Konnyu within the realm of lyrical abstraction. He expresses life with exquisite sensitivity, fusing body, mind, and soul into a singular, dreamlike vision. His experience of love is extraordinary, conveyed through a soft yet distinct artistic perspective. Attila Konnyu’s paintings are full of movement, capable of touching something dormant within us - an ache long forgotten, as though these intangible qualities were stitching closed old emotional wounds. His works clearly prioritize personal emotion and spiritual experience over realistic representation, embracing a deeply subjective approach. The paintings form a bridge between heart and eye. As Attila Konnyu himself describes: “My works are visual expressions of emotional energy - manifestations of several inherent microcosmic interactions within the macro-universe.” His art invites a wide range of interpretations; the meaning is not fixed, but rather open to each viewer’s personal journey and discovery within the work. Philosophically, Attila Konnyu’s abstract art shows influences from existentialism and reflects elements of phenomenology. The notion that existence precedes essence affirms the individual’s uniqueness - something often difficult to grasp fully. His paintings abstract reality through direct experiential imagery, rather than reproducing the objective world. The diversity of his work reveals the overflowing vitality of Attila Konnyu’s creative energy. This exhibition not only offers an appreciation of his abstract use of color in painting but also invites viewers to engage with his sculptural works. In the quiet of the darkened space, visitors are encouraged to sit, reflect, and experience the emotions of the paintings - the spiritual suffering, and the sublime joy that art can offer.

This seminal parable from the Taoist tradition encapsulates the epistemological ambiguity and ontological fluidity at the heart of Taoist thought. Only those who have meaningfully engaged with this metaphysical terrain can begin to illuminate the ineffable principles of the Tao. Within the classical Chinese philosophical canon, many thinkers ascribe to the Tao a form of subtle materiality - identifying it with a refined, primordial substrate that transcends empirical categorization. The Tao is often regarded as a vital, generative force: self-arising, self-regulating, and continuous in its transformative capacity. It is not a static metaphysical construct but a dynamic, animating principle that undergirds all phenomena. Art - particularly painting, calligraphy, and the performative dimensions of Zen practice - has long served as a conduit for the expression of the Tao. It is within this tradition that the work of Attila Konnyu must be situated. His practice, emerging from states of deep meditation, reflects the Tao’s intrinsic spontaneity and internal coherence. Crucially, the essence of true painting in this context is not reducible to technical mastery or the mechanics of gesture. Rather, it occurs when the artist becomes a vehicle for the Tao - when the soul itself flows into the work. Art becomes a mediating structure through which the invisible, the unconscious, and the unutterable become perceptible. This philosophical orientation informs every aspect of Attila Konnyu’s practice. The Yuelai Art Museum, with its environmental integration and ecologically forward vision, offers an ideal setting for the presentation of such a body of work. Its architectural openness - its interplay of water, light, and natural materials - creates a contemplative atmosphere uniquely suited to the reception of Attila Konnyu’s art. The museum’s generous spatial parameters have allowed for a comprehensive presentation of the artist’s oeuvre, encompassing paintings, digital media, installations, sculpture, graphic design, and video art. While diverse in form, these works are united by an underlying meditative methodology, one that is consistent across media and expressive registers. In Attila Konnyu’s digital compositions, one discerns a resonance with the projective psychology of the Rorschach test, wherein form invites subjective interpretation and emotional association. His paintings, by contrast, appear to channel archetypal energies - primal currents drawn from the collective unconscious, rendered in abstract yet evocative form. The Chinese aesthetic doctrine of Chi Yun (氣韻), often translated as “spiritual resonance” or “vital force,” holds that a work of art must possess this animating energy to achieve true significance. Mere technical competence is insufficient; the artist must internalize and transmit the rhythms of life itself. Attila Konnyu’s Heart installation - composed of spherical forms, mirrored surfaces, concentrated lighting, and synchronized heartbeat acoustics - invites viewers into a state of embodied reflection. It is a constructed environment for meditation, where the Tao, as source and structure, is simultaneously concealed and revealed. Throughout antiquity, diverse cultures attributed artistic inspiration to forces beyond the self: divine agency in ancient Greece, the emotive core (kokoro) in Japan, and in China, the Tao as both origin and destination of aesthetic creation. The audiovisual gallery at the Yuelai Museum offers an ideal site for presenting Attila Konnyu’s work in film and performance - media through which he investigates human intimacy, interpersonal dynamics, and the existential function of art within the broader cycles of nature and temporality. His graphic works, preliminary yet autonomous, serve as traces of raw cognition and affect, mapping a cartography of inner states. These pieces form a crucial component of the exhibition, bridging the meditative and the material. In recent years, Attila Konnyu’s work has been exhibited in over thirty museums and galleries across China. He is arguably among the most widely exhibited foreign artists in the country during this period. The enduring reception of his work within China may be attributed not only to its aesthetic merits but to its philosophical alignment with foundational aspects of Eastern thought. His practice, grounded in contemplation and aligned with the Taoist worldview, continues to find profound resonance with contemporary Chinese audiences - particularly within the reflective architecture of the Yuelai Museum.