The artworks disrupt traditional notions of modernist abstraction. Wobbly rectangles, hysterical grids, and other shapes, form the building blocks of the picturesque ‘Sutherlands’, where ‘pointless geometry’ and oblique horizons suggest a future landscape. Sutherland’s drawing practice and collagist compositions both symbolize a kind of ‘off-grid living’, a ‘utopian idyll.’  

The works defy tradition with their use of broken stretchers and torn or folded canvas, embracing the physical act of destruction and creation.

The recycling and reinterpretation of traditional artistic motifs and materials is a fundamental principle, with the elements creating dynamic compositions that delight in their unconventionality. 

If we delve deep enough into the layers of modernity—its many schools and manifestos of abstraction—we find ourselves in a place where the referential and relational qualities of images are eclipsed, while the raw and elemental come to the fore.  

The exhibition Flabbergast showcases David S Sutherland’s paintings and assemblage work that address an ever-changing and dystopian world. The works suggest that contemporary ‘reality’ is stranger than fiction, and if we are not already in some way dismayed by the current, somewhat dystopian state of affairs, it is high time we were!  

Official opening: February 17, 2025, Monday, 6 p.m.  

Venue: CEU Open Gallery (1051-Budapest, Nador street 11.)  

The Flabbergast exhibition remains open until February 28, 2025, Friday, 6 p.m.  

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.  

The official opening included the presentation of a print-edition catalog and remarks by painter and art writer Patrick Tayler, vibraphone improvisations by Oli Mayne, and vocal soundings by Tara Khozein.