Julia Csekö: Speaking Truth to Power

Csekö uses edited passages from these texts as both concept and image for her large-scale, grid-like paintings, underscoring the ways in which these authors interrogate structures of oppression and domination — from colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy, to advanced capitalism. In taking excerpts from much longer texts as her paintings’ subject, Csekö examines and questions how these radical literary works continue to resonate over time and with current social and political issues.

In creating each piece, Csekö pays homage to these authors, immersing herself in their work, reading and re-reading each book to emerge with a sentiment or impression of the text. Excerpts are selected and calculated to fit within the limited space of each canvas. Within these practical and conceptual constraints, Csekö stresses the radical truth and unrelenting clarity these writers bring to different social-political scenarios and histories.

The title of the exhibition stems from a previous series, “A Coney Island of the Mind.” The difference between the two is not aesthetic but rather lies in the choice of authors. For sixteen years, the first series was focused on excerpts of poetry, theory, philosophy, and prose by a wide range of famous authors. In time, it became necessary to seek larger diversity within the selected work, opening space for the voices of women as well as BIPOC and LGBTQIA writers.