When I first saw Eszter’s artworks I was fascinated by them. It was so different from any other style of art I have seen so far. It is honest, raw, powerful but also vulnerable at the same time. It is art that is thought-provoking but also art that reaches you straight to your heart.
For the following I asked Eszter if she wants to do an interview with me:
Luna Maluna Gri: Tell me a bit about yourself and your work.
Eszter Magyar: I’m Eszter Magyar, born and raised in Budapest, living in London, and dreaming about New York. I’m an unorthodox content creator and visual artist with huge huge plans and small patience. The artistic work I’ve done so far was about redefining the female gaze, rebelling against the idea of beauty standards, fighting for artistic freedom in the online space, and discovering and reshaping the boundaries of anything and everything really. I believe “Beauty shouldn’t be democratic”.
LMG: How and why did you start creating art?
EM: I have a background in classical makeup training – and worked as an MUA (= Make-up Artist) for almost 10 years. After a few years, my focus shifted from following to questioning the rules of “beauty”. With every step taken, I got closer to a more critical point of view until I arrived here, where no one is able to define what I am really doing. It’s too ‘art’ for ‘makeup’ yet too ‘make-up’ for ‘art’.
LMG: What role does creating art play for you?
EM: It’s a hobby turned into a habit escalated to obsession.
LMG: What does your creating process look like?
EM: From the outside, the shape of “work” is falling more and more apart with each project – since the tasks are extremely different. Sometimes I do shootings, sometimes I paint, other days I build chairs from old lipsticks or glue dead spiders on faux lashes. I’m not limited in any way which makes it so extremely hard to label or even describe this process.
LMG: What inspires you?
EM: I believe creativity is learnable and inspiration is everywhere. You just have to translate the world into your own visual language, filtered by your interests based on your moral value system.
LMG: What is your experience with the art world?
EM: The first time I heard art and my name in the same sentence was when people started to question if I’m worthy enough to be called an artist. Next time a gallerist told me my work has no artistic value, as I create “cute decorations”. In the eye of the art world, I’m mostly an uneducated wannabe, who wants a slice of the cake. On the other hand, there is a (yet small but powerful ) support system behind me (curator and gallerist friends ) who love me for the very same reasons – without academic education I’m much more limitless and brave – as people who first have to unlearn their limitations.
LMG: Is there something you want to change about the art world? If yes, what would it be?
EM: I would love to be a part of it. That would be a huge change.
LMG: What do you think is/are the role/-s of artists and art in our society?
EM: To give you “AHA” moments – which can make you change for the better.
LMG: What artist/artists would you like to meet (dead or alive) and if you had one question what would you ask them?
EM: I would love to attend an event/gathering with dadaists and/or surrealists just to observe them. I would love to know if their brilliance is or isn’t visible through their everyday/non-artistic actions or if it was limited to the studio.
LMG: Is there something you want to achieve in your art life? Dreams? Future plans? Or projects you would like to do?
EM: I want to turn it into a stable livelihood, have a studio on my own, and have as many exhibitions as possible.
Copyright to all photos and artworks: Eszter Magyar
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/makeupbrutalism/
