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Paul Bogati
- born in Cluj, Hungary in 1944
- immigrated to Canada from Austria in 1988
- M.A. from the Ion Andreescu University of Fine Arts in
Transylvania, Romania
click on thumbnails at left to view larger images
Ceramist Paul Bogatis work "stresses the
sculptural aspect of ceramics, rather than the functional, and in his way is creating a
world that is liveable for him in the face of late twentieth-century political
upheaval" (Susan Surette, 1998). In fact, Bogati has evolved over the years from
primarily classical figurative forms, to more abstracted work, to the more functional
container forms that he has been forced to undertake in the commercial context of North
America. Blending sculptural beauty and meaning with functional practicality has thus
become a focus for Bogatis work in Canada. His themes have included the female body
and reproduction, the nomadic experience of the immigrant, and the conflict between people
and political powers. As a Hungarian living in Romania, Bogati had to struggle, for most
of his career, against both a communist regime and a majority Romanian population that
constantly sought to disempower the minority Hungarian culture. Bogatis work of the
early 1980s was concerned with expressing the relationships between people and society,
often on difficult terms. As ceramist Susan Surette (1998) explains, "his clay
bodies, fired by the flames of the kiln and pulled red-hot from the fire in the raku
process, are marked by the power of this technique. Despite the appearance of these
tortured, broken, wounded bodies, they have survived this trial by fire and gained their
power in doing so, a metaphor for the suffering human." In works such as Protest and
Dialogue (1982), Cible, Cible Fondu (1986) and Cibles en Marche (early
1990s) the human body becomes the target of aggression, dehumanized somewhat because of
this emphasis. The wounding and scarring of the body that is a constant theme seems
undeniably related to his experiences as a Hungarian in Romania and his immigration. In
1994, Bogati began to work with an interest in African political events, particularly the
Tutsi genocide, in La Magie: Hommage à lAfrique. Over the years his bodies
have become more abstracted, sometimes disappearing completely and giving way to
architectural or landscape concerns. He has also more frequently created the container
forms that are the traditional domain of the ceramist, yet often using tall vessel-shapes
that can still take on connotations of the human figure. While living in Romania, Bogati
was a professor of drawing, painting and sculpture at lUniversité populaire
Tirgu-Mures in Transylvania from 1973 to 1979. Now established in Québec, Québec, Bogati
teaches at lAtelier de ceramique Saint-Elme in Beauport, Québec.
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SOLO EXHIBITIONS
1996 |
Galerie Trait-Carré,
Charlesbourg, Québec |
1986 |
Galerie d'art Miercurea, Ciuc,
Roumanie |
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
1997-96 |
Septième Biennale
nationale de céramique
Trois Rivières; Montréal; Waterloo; Richmond (travelling)
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1992 |
Galerie L'Heureux, Trois
Rivières, Québec Maison Bellanger Girardin Galerie, Beauport, Québec
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1991 |
Silicates
Maison de Potier de QuébecExposition
multiculturelle (benefit exhibition)
COFI, Québec
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1990 |
XII Biennale internationale
de céramique d'art
Vallauris, France |
1986 |
Xième Biennale
internationale de céramique d'art
Vallauris, France |
1984 |
Quadriennale républicaine
des arts décoratifs
Salle Dalles, Bucharest, Romania |
1983 |
Exposition municipale
Miercurea, Ciuc, Romania |
1982 |
Les artistes et la paix
Salle Dalles, Bucharest, RomaniaExposition
républicaine de la petite sculpture
Bucharest, Romania
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1981 |
Exposition
interdépartementale
Brasov, TransylvaniaExposition
républicaine
Salle Dalles, Bucharest, Romania
Exposition internationale
Sophia, Bulgaria
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1980 |
Quadriennale républicaine
des arts décoratifs
Salle Dalles, Bucharest, Romania |
1977 |
Exposition républicaine de
la sculpture
Bucharest, Romania |
1976 |
Exposition départementale
Musée Départemental, Miercurea, Ciuc, Romania |
1975 |
Exposition départementale
Musée départemental, Miercurea, Ciuc, Romania |
1974 |
Exposition des jeunes
artistes
Musée départemental Miercurea Ciuc, Romania |
1973 |
Triennale républicaine des
arts décoratifs
Salles Dalles, Bucharest, Romania |
COLLECTIONS
Amnesty International, Québec
Caisse populaire Desjardins, Lévis, Québec
Comité de la culture, Romania
Musée départementale, Harghita, Romania
Musée de la civilisation de Québec, Québec, Québec
Musée départemental, Miercurea, Ciuc, Romania
Société d'art et d'histoire de Beauport, Beauport, Québec |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Surette, Susan. "Paul Bogati: Ceramic
artist." Unpublished essay. Concordia University, 1998. |
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