Asot Haas – Resonare

Ašot Haas´ exhibition Resonare at the Nedbalka Gallery arrives thirteen years after Haas’s solo exhibition Inside (2013) and marks his return to a space he once shaped as an autonomous visual organism through an architectural intervention – the central circular optical element dividing the permanent and temporary displays. Haas builds on the principles and methods he has developed over more than a decade of active work, presenting new pieces shaped by a more complex consideration of the exhibition experience.

The current exhibition project is conceived as an intimate refuge that withdraws from the summer rhythm of the outside world. A dark, concentrated environment is punctuated by accents of light that refract, pulse and reflect within optical materials. Cool white light, rotations and an ambient sound layer act upon the senses, drawing us into a play of details and optical illusions that shift with every step. Technological innovation and a contemporary understanding of artistic possibilities coexist with history and the legacy of art.

The exhibition presents a selection of new kinetic objects, light installations and relief works in which the artist explores the relationship between movement, light and optical illusion. Each piece interweaves precise geometric principles with the fragile instability of visual perception, transforming the space into a living, dynamic environment.

Ašot Haas is one of the few Slovak visual artists who consistently create objects and installations through a combination of glass, optical plexiglass, mirrors and a range of experimental materials. A defining element of his work is his engagement with light and geometric principles, naturally extending the traditions of Op Art, Minimalism and geometric abstraction. His pieces bring together formal repetition and a sensitivity to clean, simple yet striking – often symmetrical – compositions that use light and optical illusion to destabilise the apparent solidity of wall-based or spatial works. Through dynamic compositions, static movement and the inclusion of kinetic elements, he creates interactive situations that cultivate a sense of sensory uncertainty.

Over two decades of active work, Haas has developed several key approaches that he continually revises and expands. His practice moves fluidly between wall and space – from more traditional painterly modes to spatial interventions, objects and installations. Within his wall-based works, he has shifted from conventional painting in acrylic or silkscreen to relief forms and machine-applied colour. By incorporating printing on plexiglass, he moved towards object-based forms that leave the traditional canvas behind. He works with cut layers of optical plexiglass, combines them with LED light, and cuts mirrors or stainless steel. In space, he moves with ease – from free-standing glass and light objects to more demanding kinetic constructions, laser projections and complex, emotionally charged environments.

The thematic dimension of Haas’s work oscillates between lyrical moments and concrete motifs. He has long explored the paradox of static movement, the illusion of transformation and the flow of energy, articulating an effort to make the invisible visible – physical laws, vibrational fields, sound and light resonances, as well as emotional and symbolic layers. His works often begin with scientific facts and principles, which he gradually transforms into metaphorical realms that speak to consciousness, slowing down, spirituality and introspection leading to a contemplative experience. Alongside abstract themes, his practice also draws on specific sources of inspiration such as the cosmos and celestial bodies, history, architecture, popular culture, and the observation of basic geometric forms and the dynamics of explosions.