Robert Horvath’s Society of Self examines the tension between our desire for connection and the instinct for individual survival. Drawing on Richard Dawkins’ The Selfish Gene, Horvath considers selfishness as a biological drive toward gene replication that shapes not only competition and self-preservation, but also requires reciprocity and altruism.

 

Through painting and sculpture, individual works operate as entities within a larger visual ecosystem—competing for the viewer’s attention while simultaneously forming a collective. Slick oil paintings depict amorphous forms against expansive fields of black, echoed by intimate organic ceramic sculptures inspired by ocean life, science fiction, microscopic bacteria, fungi, and other life forms that propagate like genes. Glitter and metallic surfaces, accented by vivid color, heighten the works’ visual impact and showcase Horvath’s creative range and technical prowess.

 

Together, the works create an otherworldly, immersive experience that mirrors and mimics the human struggle to coexist, inviting the audience to consider their own place within society and where the line between healthy self-interest and harmful selfishness might exist.