Istvan Zsako

Istvan Zsako was born in Budapest, Hungary, and studied art at the Hungarian School of Fine Arts, Budapest (1968-1972) and sculpture at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, Budapest (1979-1984). In 1987 he won the Scholarship of Rome, affording him the chance to travel in Italy and take inspiration from countless ancient statues.

In his over thirty years of professional practice his bronze sculptures have been exhibited throughout Europe and Canada and are part of important public and private collections. His work has been reviewed in international art magazines, as well as being featured in an episode of CBC television's Nature of Things with David Suzuki. He has received numerous grants and awards in Europe and Canada , most recently the New Brunswick Art Board's project grant. He lives in Baie Verte, NB.

In this new series of work using measuring tapes, Istvan reveals the aesthetic potential of this common tool in his creative process. Various sizes and shades of tapes are used to create fields of yellow, with the red and black numbers providing movement and points of interest in the landscape.

Artist Statement

Yellow (Summer) - This common tool has a positive image, connecting to construction and creativity. The tape measures are yellow, the colour which is associated with sunshine, gold, wealth and optimism. The Canadian tape measure is unique in the world, the top side is imperial and the bottom is metric, a good kind of double standard. In my new works I have used worn and new tape measures. The different design of numbers, different width, and different shade of yellow give me opportunity for a great number of varieties.

- Istvan Zsako

Click here to read an article discussing work from the NB Arts Bank's collection on view at the University of Maine Museum of Art in 2016, including Istvan's "Prairie III."