Béla

Hungarian, born 1978. 

Béla’s work smoulders. A self described ex-graf writer and reformed pyromaniac, he studied art in the 90s before walking away to paint on walls.  His practice today sits in the negative space between vandalism and reverence. The ongoing Fire series depicts combustion across unpredictable surfaces.  

Where graffiti targets public spaces, Béla turns the instinct inward, attacking institutional artefacts- the heirlooms, the auction house gilt. The fire is all in the paint, utilising vivid single pigments to convey the heat of an inferno, crossed with the swift illicit gestures of his past.  Mixing up these influences, he arrives at something entirely new. 

With almost zero presence online, Béla is exclusively represented by KOFF.