New works from the Barcelona residency available at YRA (more formats coming soon)

Between Prague, Lisbon, and Barcelona

Vámos’s creative process has always been defined by movement. Commuting on the Prague–Bratislava–Budapest axis became a specific mode of thinking for him. While his early works, which you may know from our gallery, often focused on the issues of "apartment life" and the home, his recent international experiences have brought a radical change in both scale and depth.

Following last year's residency in Lisbon, where he experimented with glass sheets and transparency, Vámos fully immersed himself in Barcelona in exploring the relationship between physical space and digital fragmentation.

 

The Concept of "Overplace": When Excess Prevails

In his Barcelona studio overlooking the Catalan metropolis, Vámos began working with a new theoretical framework he calls Overplace. Inspired by the thoughts of theorists such as Claire Bishop and Marc Augé, this concept defines space not by a lack (like the well-known "non-places" – airports or shopping malls), but rather by extreme excess.

"Overplace is a state where space becomes unstable because it can no longer contain the amount of information and layers accumulating within it. It does not collapse due to emptiness, but under its own weight," explains János Vámos.

On his new canvases, we see strict architectural grids that are mercilessly overwritten by transparent layers and visual noise. It is a reflection of our life in the digital era—a state where we perceive the world through overlapping browser windows, and where physical reality blends with the virtual one.

Visual Erotica

One of the most intriguing aspects of Vámos’s current work is his engagement with the viewer’s attention. In response to today's visual saturation, which the artist likens to "visual pornography" (where everything is shown immediately, explicitly, and attacks the primal instincts), Vámos chooses the path of visual erotica.

His paintings work with suggestion, concealment, and layering. By leaving certain parts of the composition empty or partially covering them with another canvas, he activates the viewer's fantasy. The painting thus becomes a "playground" where each of us must complete the overall impression using our own memory and imagination.

 

 

The Harmony of Contradictions: Romanticism and Construction

The works by Vámos available in our offer always carry a tension between two poles:

• Constructivism: Rational order, discipline, and solid structure.

• Romanticism: Emotion, expression, rawness, and a willingness to take risks.

This dialogue between control and instinct is what makes Vámos’s painting so magnetic. Even in his latest Barcelona works, full of bridges and industrial elements, we feel this balance. Everything is structured, yet we feel that nothing is truly in its place.

What’s Next?

Janos Vámos returned to Prague at the end of December, where he will begin processing the influences of Southern Modernism and Barcelona's aesthetic subtlety in his new studio. For 2026, he plans major exhibitions in Prague and Budapest, which will present the results of the "chemical cleaning" of his residency experiences.

Explore the current selection of János Vámos's works at Young Real Art and invest in an artist who is not afraid to question the boundaries of painting and our perception of the world.

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© Photo: Aina Diago/ Photo courtesy of Piramidón + János Vámos photo archive