Written by Kovács Ágnes
Translated by Zoltán Bartko
FiguratiF Gallery, MaJel Rovás Centre, Alžbetina 42, Košice, Slovakia
2 May 2019 - 23 May 2019
An exhibition of the works created at the Graphic Art Workshop in Ajka, Hungary and the International Bronze Casting and Woodcarving Creative Camp
The exhibiting artists:
Imre Bodnár, Anikó Bodor, Tibor Csabai, Mária Deák Németh, Attila Diénes, Szilárd Diénes, Árpád Daradics, Károly Elekes, László Fábián, Ernő Ferencz, Tamás Gaál, Sándor Györffy, László Juhos, Lajos Kamper, Gyula Németh, László Nemes, Attila Pokornyi, István Sipos, János Székely, György Szőke, Rebeka Tézsla from Hungary; Csaba Sánta, Gheorghe Muresan from Transylvania, Romania; Ursula Etzlinger-Staff, József Koppándi from Austria; Éva Mayer from Slovakia.
The exhibition was opened by art historian György Szücs (from the Hungarian National Gallery of Budapest). As he told the audience, a visual inspection of the exhibited works shows that paintings, the leading genre in the hierarchy of genres (according to the general belief), are absent. "I often encounter annoyed reactions and dismissal, even from art historians, when only graphic works or sculptures are being exhibited.", said the art historian. This exhibition, here in Košice, proves how drawings, using thin lines and flat surfaces and reproduced graphic art are really capable of performing an exciting dialogue with three dimensional sculptures and spatial shapes. This is not about genres, but about paradigms: we see that material not impacted by paintings can - at times - convey the actual matter of art, the issues of the creators and the possible answers more clearly and in a more concentrated fashion. It is astounding to see the various venues connected by this exhibition, especially after reading the names printed on the invitation or knowing the lives of the authors. Moreover, the past or current links of the sculptors to Transylvania is more than evident. Some came to Košice from the West, other from the East. The main pillars of this spiritual gathering are Magyarpolány, Ajka, Budapest and Košice. The venue and the opening ceremony itself result in a density allowing the viewer to discover new forms of dynamism, fresh connections; however, all of this requires the viewer to actively participate in the process.
