Essie J.N. (Eszter Júlia Nagy) is a multidisciplinary artist, born in Budapest in 1993, where she currently lives and works. She began her studies at the University of Szeged, then continued at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Macerata in Italy, where she studied graphic art and painting. In 2022, she earned a diploma in Interior Design from KREA, and she is currently studying Curatorial Studies at the Budapest Metropolitan University.
She primarily creates oil paintings inspired by fragments of cityscapes she encounters during her travels, capturing simple yet meaningful moments of everyday life. Her works are permeated by distinctive light–shadow contrasts and a sense of melancholy that often accompanies human existence. She is particularly interested in the transience of life, and it is important for her to record how people experience daily life and the passage of time. Despite the themes rooted in impermanence, her paintings depict tranquility, silence, and figures embraced by nature or the urban environment.
Her artistic interests are deeply rooted in art history, mythology, and architecture. She is especially drawn to ancient Italian and Greek art, as well as to the refined yet mystical beauty of Romanesque and Gothic styles.
Photography plays a central role in her creative process. She uses it as a visual diary, one that helps her observe the world more deeply, capture subtle nuances of everyday moments, and preserve what might seem insignificant at first glance. These images often become the starting point of her paintings; through transformation, they move beyond their documentary nature and become carriers of memory, emotions, and personal narratives.
At the core of Eszter’s work lies the tension between the ephemerality of human life and the permanence of the built environment. Her canvases and drawings explore the contrast between softness and structure, examining themes such as the passage of time, fragility, and silence.
The urban environment of Budapest, where she grew up, remains a key source of inspiration. Her sensitivity to facades, reliefs, shadows, and minute architectural details consistently reappears in her work. Photography and painting are tightly intertwined in her practice: the visual world emerging from her photographs gains new layers of meaning while revealing the often unnoticed stories embedded in city spaces.
Her works invite viewers to pause and reflect, encouraging them to connect with what they see through their own memories and personal interpretations.
STUDIES
2024-2026. Master in Arts Management, Curator (MA) - METU - Budapest Metropolitan University,
2019-2022. Interior Design - first-class honors - KREA Contemporary Art Institute, Budapest, (HU),
2014-2018. Bachelor of Arts (BA), Painting and Graphic Arts - University of Szeged, (HU)
2017-2018. Erasmus scholarship - Bachelor of Arts (BA) - Accademia di Belle di Arti, Macerata, (IT)
2013-2014. Private drawing classes, Teacher: Zsigmond Lucza
2008-2011. Photography and Art Studies, AKG - Alternative Economics High School, Budapest, (HU)
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2025. Titktos terek - Secret places - Artéria Galéria (HU)
2014. Dance this mess around - photographs, Grand Café Gallery, Szeged (HU)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025. Resident Art Fair - Allegro Barbaro 2.0, Resident Art Gallery, Budapest (HU)
2025. ISBN+ PRINT SHOW, Budapest (HU)
2025. Acsaújlaki Kastély (HU)
2024. Képező Galéria, Charity auction (HU)
2018. TAKT Vernissage, Art residency (RS)
ART RESIDENCIES
2018. TAKT - Art Colony, Temerin, (SR)
2018. International Art Residency, Jázsdózsa, (HU)
2014. Fis-Art, International Street Art Festival, Timisoara, (RO)
INTERNATIONAL ART PROGRAMS
2016. 'Arts Here, Rights Now' - Erasmus+ program, Karlovac /Carpe Diem/(HR)
2015. 'Light Path' - Erasmus+ program, Sasso di Castalda, (IT)
PRESS & EVENTS
Allegro Barbaro 2.0
https://www.calameo.com/read/0048205962d36cdfb9f85
ISBN+ Print Show
ShowUsYourType
https://www.showusyourtype.com/artist/Essie%20J.n.
Gyarmati hírek
https://gyarmatihirek.hu/2025/10/02/nagy-eszter-festomuvesz-kiallitasa-az-arteriaban
