Andrea Dezso bio

Lives and works in New York City
Studied at Hungarian University of Design, Budapest (B.F.A., 1994; M.F.A., 1996)

Artist's Statement:
Ever since I can remember I always drew. Then at the age of fourteen, I went to art school, and suddenly my way of drawing wasn't adequate anymore. I was encouraged to step out of my old ways and leave them, as snakes leave their old skin behind. By the age of twenty-five, I forgot where I came from and why I wanted to make art to begin with. Armed with all the correct and accepted knowledge that elevated me within the ranks of acceptance of European academia, I learned that the new tools did not help me to create what I wanted. After many years of struggling I decided to unlearn it all and find my way back to how I drew and felt before I went to art school. The process of unlearning was not easy. It was especially difficult not to judge myself by the learned criteria and just let go. It took years until I taught myself to trust my instincts. Now I can draw again the way I like it. I don't think while I do it. The pictures flow through my shoulder, arm, hand, and pen onto the surface and I'm surprised how they got there. This is how I drew at Tamarind also. I was somewhat obsessed with aliens and space at the time; that's why all my lithographs created there feature them in some way. Sometimes when I look at those prints I feel surprised with some little details I don't consciously remember drawing and that makes me feel good. It means that I was able to transpose myself into another space and state of mind and draw from my heart again.

Selected recent exhibitions
1999	Jack Tilton Gallery, New York City
1998	Jack Tilton Gallery, New York City
1996	Studio of the Young Artists' Black Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
1996	Gallerie Pont Neuf, Paris, France Hungarian Consulate, Vienna, Austria Studio of the Young Designers' Gallery, Budapest, Hungary Association of Women Artists, Auckland, New Zealand State of the Art, Palace of Budapest, Hungary

Selected Grants and Awards
1997-98	Artist in Residence, Center for Book Arts, New York
1997	Special Studies Grant-Soros Foundation
	Hungarian State Grant awarded by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture
1994	Fellowship of the Hungarian Republic Art Fellowship, Kultur Kontakt, Austria
1992	Tempus Fellowship, Middlesex University, London, UK
1991	Fellowship of the Hungarian Republic