Alex Jobbagy

Your artistic journey began very early, with your first solo exhibition at the age of 13. How did that early experience shape your understanding of art and your decision to return to fine art later in life?

Having my first solo exhibition at such a young age gave me an early sense of art as a serious form of inquiry and communication, not simply self-expression. At the same time, that experience came before I had the tools or life experience to fully understand its significance. Returning to fine art later in life has allowed me to re-engage with that early impulse from a more grounded, intentional place – bringing with it greater clarity, patience, and depth.

Alex Jobbagy | The Camel Whisperer | 2025

You spent many years working in commercial graphic design and marketing, even earning an MBA. How has this background influenced your current artistic practice, if at all?

Years spent in graphic design, marketing, and business sharpened my understanding of visual language and systems of communication. Returning to fine art has been a deliberate shift away from utility and persuasion toward openness and ambiguity, but that professional background still informs my sensitivity to form, composition, and context.

Alex Jobbagy | A Prayer In Green | 2025

Having been born in Transylvania and later relocating to Australia, how do ideas of displacement, migration, and identity inform your work today?

Relocating from my country of birth has deeply influenced how I understand identity and place. Experiences of migration and displacement inform my work by shaping the way I observe, remember, and relate to my surroundings. These experiences continue to guide my interest in awareness, perception, and the emotional dimensions of belonging.

Alex Jobbagy | Dawn Of Awakening | 2025

Surrealism and symbolism play a central role in your visual language. What draws you to these movements as tools for exploring contemporary social and political realities?

I’m drawn to surrealism and symbolism because they allow me to address social and political realities that are difficult – or sometimes impossible – to speak about directly. These visual languages create distance and ambiguity, making space for complex, sensitive, or contested issues to surface without being reduced to illustration or commentary. Through metaphor and displacement, the work can approach these subjects obliquely, inviting reflection rather than prescription.

Alex Jobbagy | Fragments Of Memory | 2025

Many of your works feature the human body merging with natural elements – hands becoming landscapes, figures dissolving into organic forms. What does this fusion represent for you?

My work explores the fragile tension between the individual and the world – the delicate balance between the harmony of nature and the artificial rhythms of modern life. While we are inherently part of nature, this connection is often obscured by the demands and routines of contemporary society, where conformity and busyness dominate. Through the fusion of human figures with organic forms, I aim to disrupt familiar perceptions and create thought-provoking scenarios that invite viewers to pause, reflect, and reconsider their relationship to the natural world.

Alex Jobbagy | New Life | 2025

2025 has been an exceptionally active year for you, with over 20 exhibitions worldwide. How has this period of momentum affected your creative process?

2025 marks the first year I have been able to dedicate myself fully to art. I am exploring a surge of ideas and emotions that I wish to communicate visually, and as a result, I am creating almost daily. Feedback from peers, galleries, and clients has been both encouraging and instructive, helping me refine and focus my practice. I have also been fortunate to see several of my works find new homes, which affirms and motivates my ongoing exploration.

Alex Jobbagy | Orion’S Belt | 2025

When viewers encounter your work, what kind of emotional or intellectual response do you hope to awaken in them?

I hope the work encourages quiet reflection and emotional resonance, inviting viewers to slow down and become more attentive to their own responses. Ideally, the encounter opens a space for contemplation while fostering a heightened awareness of the world around them and their place within it.