PLATO

​​“In a way, it reminds me of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave: sometimes my figures leave the cave and go outside, only to hurry back inside to watch the shadows on the wall again."                                                                                                                                                                                                   — Ákos Ezer on Call of the Wild

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Call of the Wild presents a new body of work by the Hungarian artist in which his signature dreamy youths, with their elongated limbs and expressive forms, venture into nature in search of solace. They roast marshmallows, knit scarves while whistling to the wind, drink mint tea, collect pebbles, pick apples, and blow soap bubbles. Their activities are deliberately ordinary—small acts of pleasure that recall the slower rhythms of childhood and offer an imagined respite from the accelerated, screen-saturated reality of contemporary life.

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Yet a retreat into nature may be less attainable than it seems. Are we still capable of having an unmediated experience, or is the urge to reach for our phones—to seek a dose of dopamine, capture an image, or immediately share it on social media—unavoidable?