Biography
Gábor Miklós Szőke was born in 1984 in Budapest. He studied sculpting at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in the class of Pál Kő. As a scholarship student in Milan, the time spent at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera had a great influence on him.
In Hungary and internationally as well, Szőke is known for his public animal sculptures. Despite his young age, he has nearly 100 works on three continents, which have all become a defining and emblematic element of their surroundings. His pieces can be found in busy public squares in Washington DC, Gstaad, Milan, Rome, Munich, Vienna, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Zagreb, Samorin, Oradea, Budapest and many other cities worldwide. His creations are made of wood and stainless steel.
The dramatic nature of French romanticism had a strong impact on his work, specifically the expressive brutality of Géricault's paintings. He considers sculptures to be the palpable result of his work, by which he can re-trace significant events in his life. For him, existence equals creation and sculptures are the physical manifestations of this. He breaks down anatomical forms into elementary units and then reinterprets these with the industrial re-construction of these elements. He brings complex and inextricable structures to life.
The most important source of inspiration for his earlier works is his late doberman, Dante, who is the central character in his own private mythology, the Dante Empire. Lord Dante has exquisite imperial taste. In his world, baroque grandeur and the strict functionality of industrialism can be found side by side. Dante is the key figure in many of his performances and exhibitions, and during his university years, the dog appears several times in his paintings, sculptures and installations. He is also the essence of Szőke's own design furniture line, Dante Home.