10 Questions with Brigitta Körmöndi

Brigitta Körmöndi is a self-taught digital artist from Hungary.

When taking pictures, she often thinks about the world and art. Artworks can create meaning, convey messages, and decode messages. Perhaps the power of art lies in the ability to preserve the best moments. Of course, an artwork can exist solely for the purpose of enjoyment, but she stands with those who believe that an artwork should try to communicate and express something.

"Individual social problem" - This is a well-known phrase among students, with a typical mocking, malicious tone. It could mean something like, "no one cares about your problem; solve it yourself." Unfortunately, social phenomena in the form of crisis only become visible to the middle class when their own position is threatened. She is unable to be so indifferent, and uses her art to reflect on the world, not only as a citizen, but also as a human being.

She believes that the key to all creative activity lies in self-education after university and thinks that this taught her to see and interpret our society and the world in her own way.

brigittakormondi.eu | @brigittakormondi_digital_art

Brigitta Körmöndi's art is wonderfully rich in meaning. The images present themselves as if they belong to a dream world. They belong to the imagination.

Reality and dream mingle in Brigitta's mind, creating works that follow in the footsteps of surrealism.

Her style can be called dream illusionism. She uses cold, ambiguous, contrasting tones, like dreams. Her mysterious paintings provoke a series of questions in the viewer. The desire for the viewers to enter the work and create their own universe, the basis of which lives in the artist, depends on her interpretation. Brigitta's art, however, while retaining its surrealistic features, remains grounded in reality, in life, in

experience, and in what she herself writes. Part magical storyteller and part sober harbinger of society's ills, Brigitta's work invites us to a deeper reflection on the world around us.

— Art Curator Mara Cipriano

INTERVIEW

When and how did you start getting involved with visual arts and photography?

I am an eternal and restless creator who has always strived to create something new since childhood. I have always wanted to be involved in art. Nowadays, when I'm not working with clients, I turn my attention to my personal projects: I work with collage art, paint or write short stories. When I received a camera from my family a few years ago (which I had been longing for and saving for a year, but it was still expensive), I was very excited and took a lot of photos. But I realized that photos alone can't fully express my feelings. That's why I turned to the tools of digital art to concretize my ideas. For me, it is a magical tool for expressing nostalgia and melancholy. I am like a magician, creating my own world where my deep emotions freely emerge.

What for you is the most enjoyable part of your art?

It's difficult to highlight a specific part because, for me, every moment of creation is magical. If I have to mention one, it's the finished picture, the result, which is the most enjoyable, because then I was able to tell the story I imagined. Additionally, I like to observe my viewers' feedback, which is very important to me in order to grow. Although I sometimes find excessive feedback distracting, I know it can help me correct my mistakes and inspire further creative experimentation.

Let's talk about your work. Can you explain what your idea is and how you are working on it?

In my opinion, a concept comes to life in a stunning way.
During creation, usually, one decision is enough to make me move from the floating possibilities and escape stillness. I think this process is very similar to songwriting. For example, at the moment you decide to play two chords, you already have the song's tempo and tone in mind and have narrowed down the sound.
I have referred to this as a decision-making game. It's a process where you carve your work out of nothing.

Where do you find inspiration for your work, and what is your creative process like?

I love living, and I love observing what's happening around me. My works are mostly inspired by the events happening around me. In today's world, a picture has an impact on people, not only in its artistic function. If we pay a little closer attention, we realize that surprising stories are taking place, which we experience at a soul level. There is a magic that permeates all of this, which usually hides from our eyes, and can only be discovered by revealing the underlying connections in the world. This magic gives me inspiration when I work with art. My creations are like mirrors through which we can see ourselves and, with their help, better understand the magic behind the routine of our daily lives.
In addition, I deeply and passionately love (almost) all kinds of music. Music is very inspiring to me. I'm always listening to something 24 hours a day. I borrowed song titles for the naming of my first illustrations, or I took out my favorite songs and illustrated them.
I can't describe my creative process with any amazing method or a set of rules I came up with. I simply have a "sixth sense" or a good eye for aesthetics.
When creating, I mix two incompatible things and fit the pieces together, deciding what's missing from the other. I keep tweaking them until I find the balance where you can no longer tell which came first.
My illustrations and style, after long experimentation, came to life from a mixture of different mediums. The result includes digital painting, photo manipulation, and sometimes 3D elements. Most of the textures I use are hand-painted.

In your work you mix different elements to create powerful images. Where did you get your imagery from? And where do you source the images and elements you use in your collages?

I love creating surrealist images because they inspire my imagination and force me to think. I believe that imagination is the key to the creation of an artist's work, but not everyone has it. I believe that it comes from within and can neither be obtained nor lost. However, I also believe that it can grow, mature, strengthen, or weaken within us.
It matters how and what we use our imagination for. Some people may not even know that they have imagination, but it remains somewhat active by creating different shapes when you nibble on your cake, for example, or try to find meaning in the shapes of clouds. I use and nourish my imagination when I create. I feel that my imaginative world is getting stronger over time, and I am not worried about losing it.
I love making dark surrealist images. However, I would like to point out that working with dark art does not mean that the artist has to be tormented - in my case, quite the opposite: I see the world as something beautiful and magical thanks to nature, but I view the human race as a darkness that slowly destroys itself. With my images, I try to convey my perspective and feelings on this matter to people.
When I create, I use my own photos, stock photos, and hand-drawn elements. I see these elements as treasures and constantly search for new resources. 

Why do you use this visual language? And how has it evolved over the years?

I really enjoy painting as well, but for some reason, I feel really comfortable while creating digital images. The creative freedom of collage art is what allows me to constantly create new things and discover new things. I'm constantly experimenting with new techniques. I used to make art that evoked horror movies, full of very high contrasts, but now I'm more focused on the subtle play of colors and textures as if I were working on a creative craft project. I upload all my creations to the internet, where feedback often prompts me to practice more and learn where I'm making mistakes. I usually create one picture a day, but sometimes I try to slow down to give my brain a chance to rest. This is how I try to avoid creative crisis and burnout.

What do you hope the public takes away from your work?

I utilize every available tool in the digital art world to create truly unique and exceptional works of art. While creating, I try to break away from the norm and not necessarily follow the rules.

What are you working on now, and what are your plans for the future in terms of new projects?

My everyday life is currently peaceful and stress-free. I don't mind this right now because I worked a lot in 2022, and I got a little tired. Currently, as a freelance artist, I only design book covers and posters. And I am trying to make a name for myself in the music industry, breaking into it because I really love designing CD covers.

Do you have any upcoming shows or collaborations you are looking forward to?

I am planning a solo exhibition in Budapest, Hungary, in the second half of 2023, collaborating with strong musical characters. I am currently spending all of my time developing the details of the event. I primarily desire for my works to be the lead actors in such an exhibition because I find the relationship between music and visual experiences to be very exciting. The music plays in time while my pictures are located in space, which can be a seemingly contradictory yet very effective combination.

Finally, share something you would like the world to know about you?

When I create a work of art, it doesn't count as a compliment to me if someone says, "Wow, these colors are beautiful!" Neither is it a genuine compliment to me if they say, "Wow, Brigitta, you look so beautiful today!"
I only desire one thing, that my audience appreciates and understands my art.