How we see the world and how we read images are primary concerns for Bartok. The social comment has been an ever increasing presence in his work, with the use of humour as a subversive tactic ‘to see ourselves more clearly’. The deadpan black line used since 2015 alludes to a colouring-in book, a resource that could be seen as a coercive indoctrinator of children to the social conventions and power structures of Western society; Bartok seems to unwind these graphic ontologies by way of mirroring the darker aspects of the world around us, quoting seemingly benign objects or situations and collaging them into new and unexpected relationships.
'Bartok is part of a long lineage of artists who have dipped their hand into the incessant stream of ephemeral, media images and appropriated them to a critique of the conditions of our social existence, of how our norms and behaviours are manipulated for base commercial imperatives. I can’t think of anybody working today with drawing, painting and print media who does it better. His selection of source images, guided by a sure feeling for contradiction, exposes the deep strangeness of what the multitude are scrolling through daily.' - Joe Frost
Bartok is a 2022 MFA graduate of the National Art School, and has been a finalist in among others: The Kedumba Drawing Award (2024), The Waverley Art Prize (2022), Lester Prize for Portraiture (2020), The Kilgour Art Prize (2019) and Winner of the Fisher’s Ghost Award for Drawing, Painting and Printmaking (2016).
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025 420/69, Central Space, 20 Apr
Delineations, Flinders Street Gallery, 29 Mar - 5 Apr
2024 Including Words, Stanley Street Gallery, 28 Feb - 23 Mar
Tiles Gallery Fundraiser, Tiles Gallery, 23 Mar
2023 26.04.23 - 20.05.23, Home @735 Gallery, 26 Apr - 20 May
2022 Damien Minton Presents Political Posters Now, Goodspace Gallery and Damien Minton, 27 - 30 Apr
2019 The Paper Salon, aMBUSH Gallery, 29 - 31 March
2018 Unlimited Sydney, Sydney Contemporary Art Fair, 13 - 16 Sep, Carriageworks Sydney
2017 Colouring Out, @RKD Gallery, 20 - 28 May, Canberra
2016 A Year in Preview, The New Standard Gallery, 21 Oct - 8 Nov
28.9.16 - 23.10.16, Home @735 Gallery, 28 Sep - 23 Oct
Churchie Emerging Artist Prize, Aug - Nov, QUT Art Museum, Brisbane
Exploration 16, 31 May - 18 Jun, Flinders Lane Gallery, Melbourne
Green-eyed monster eating its own tail - Art Month Sydney, 5 - 20 Mar
YAI, M. Contemporary, 3 - 10 Feb
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2020 Remote Access, 11 Nov - 6 Dec, Galerie Pompom (project space), Chippendale
2017 Mandatory Field, 28 Sep - 28 Oct, The New Standard Gallery, Surry Hills
2017 Terms and Conditions, 13 - 30 Jul, Stacks Projects, Potts Point
2016 Very New Work, 6 Apr - 1 Mar, MOP Projects, Chippendale
SELECTED PRIZES AND AWARDS
FINALIST 2024 Kedumba Drawing Award
Calleen Art Award
FINALIST 2023 Vincent Prize
WINNER 2022 Max Foley Memorial Award
FINALIST 2022 Waverly Art Prize
Mosman Art Prize
FINALIST 2021 Grace Cossington Smith Art Prize
FINALIST 2020 Lester Prize for Portraiture
FINALIST 2019 Kilgour Art Prize
North Sydney Art Prize
FINALIST 2018 Blacktown Art Prize
FINALIST 2017 Mosman Art Prize
WINNER 2016 Fisher’s Ghost Art Award for Painting, Printmaking and Drawing
FINALIST 2016 Churchie Emerging Art Prize