Came from the East, heading North
Botond Keresztesi
11 Jan. – 8 Feb. 2025
Opening: January 11, 6 – 9 pm
Future Gallery is proud to present Came from the East, heading North, a solo exhibition by Budapest-based artist Botond Keresztesi. This exhibition marks the artists third solo exhibition with the gallery.
Came from the East, heading North explores themes of transition, identity, and space through a series of striking square paintings. These works feature gatekeeper figures representing the cardinal directions—south, north, west, and east—serving as symbolic guides to physical, imagined, and transformative territories.
The gatekeepers navigate the intersections of micro and macro worlds, reflecting Keresztesi’s personal journey from Romania toward new horizons. These figures evoke pathways through real and fictive landscapes, blending mythology and geography with a deeply personal narrative of forward motion and self-discovery.
“Came from the East, heading North” invites us to consider the spaces we traverse and the stories we create as we move through life.
Botond Keresztesi (b. 1987, Romania) is a Budapest-based artist working across painting, drawing, and installation. Remixing references from art history, popular culture, and both digital and everyday life, his works crystallize into the fragmented realities of dreamscapes. His recent solo exhibitions include NPC (No-one Paints Chrysopoeia) at Seventeen Gallery, London (2024), The Opium Smoker’s Dream at The Hole, New York (2022), Newtro at Everyday Gallery, Antwerp (2022), and Longtermhandstand, Budapest. Group exhibitions featuring his work include X PINK 101 at X Museum, Beijing (2023) and Limbo at Everyday Gallery, Antwerp (2020).
Keresztesi’s art is included in notable public collections, such as the Ludwig Museum in Budapest and X Museum in Beijing. Through his diverse body of work, Keresztesi explores themes of cultural fragmentation and the intersection of the digital and physical realms.
