The Kassák Contemporary Art Prize was established in 2022 by Dr. István Argay, a physician and art collector, as founder, and the Petőfi Literary Museum – Kassák Museum as institutional partner, to encourage the creation of contemporary art works and projects. In 2023, the Rechnitzer Collection joined the initiative as a special patron. The project is coordinated by the Interart Foundation.
The Kassák Prize for Contemporary Art is open to projects that explore or reinterpret in a contemporary way the phenomena of twentieth-century avant-garde art and the issues raised by avant-garde movements. The competition is open to the creation of a new work of art or project embedded in an exhibition.
Among the artistic movements of historical modernism, countless theories, ideas and manifestos emerged that offered new alternatives to traditional concepts of music. Even the concept of music itself changed fundamentally: the arrival of sound recording devices extended possibilities to capture everyday sounds, the exclusivity of tonal sound structures was questioned, and composers and performers experimented with new, mechanical sound-producing tools and compositional methods. However, it was only after the Second World War that these new ideas became fully realised with the advent of electronic instruments.
Erdei Krisztina: Riseset, Victory Over the Sun,13 framed photos, 2 gif loops, video [13:00], 2020, Fotó: Gál Csaba (PIM – Kassák Múzeum) This exhibition presents a selection of innovative musical endeavours from the period, based on music theory texts and artworks published in Lajos Kassák’s journals Ma (Today) and Dokumentum (Document), published during the 1920s, and explores the most important Hungarian forums for modern musical trends, with interviews tracing the later history of the new music.
In addition, works by contemporary artists and composers revisit and re-interpret earlier avant-garde endeavours and experiments.
Exhibiting artists: Zsófia Ádám, János Bali, Bálint Bolcsó, Krisztina Erdei, Réka Farkas-Kovách, Samu Gryllus, Csanád Kedves, Krisztián Kertész, Áron Lakatos, Eszter Nádas, Zsófia Nagy, Péter Tornyai, Zsombor Tóth, Dániel Váczi
Vernissage: 6pm, 9 December 2022
The opening will feature the premiere of Andrea Szigetvári’s work for mechanical piano, Peano Piano – Fractal Sonification. Both the instrument and the opportunity to rehearse were provided by the Budapest Music Center.
Curator: Judit Csatlós Curator’s assistant: Eszter Rácz Music expert: Andrea Szigetvári Music history expert: Andrea van der Smissen Installation design: Studio Nomad Graphic design: Nagy Orsolya Cecília – Umlauf Adrienn
Krisztina Erdei performed the 1913 opera Victory over the Sun for a flock of sheep while working as a shepherd in Turkey in 2009. The performance and installation set up a collision between two types of social experiment: the Russian avant-garde utopia of a future without a past, and a contemporary eco-village project. Through her own personal experience, Erdei explores various notions of work, utility, and purpose.
The opera was written in the spirit of passion for technology, and combined the ideas of its creators [Aleksei Kruchonykh, Velimir Khlebnikov, Mikhail Matyushin, and Kazimir Malevich] on the interconnection of space and time, the fourth dimension, and radical transformation of the political system. At the heart of the plot was the victory over the sun, which symbolised nature and the old world, paving the way for the rise of the ‘new man.’ Every element of the opera sought to express a cosmic vision of the future. Only fragments of Matyushin’s score have remained, while a large part of the libretto was written by Kruchonykh and Khlebnikov in their own ‘Zaum’ language. The composers combined language ‘beyond meaning’ with a futurist vision of the future. By using suggestive sounds, word and sentence fragments, neologisms, and nouns with changed genders, they sought to liberate the mind from traditional thought patterns. While translating the work into Hungarian, Erdei replaced the original novel linguistic phenomena with phrases popularly used online, referred to as a digilect.
2009-ben kecskepásztorként dolgoztam Törökországban. A Riseset, a nap győzelme című installációm kecskepásztor múltam időstruktúráját idézi meg és azon keresztül értelmezi jelenlegi munkám kereteit, illetve a természet bizonyos szereplőit szembesíti a XX. század futurista művészeinek térrel és idővel kapcsolatos jóslataival.
A mű kiindulópontja az első szuprematista kiállítás és M.V. Matiushin, Kazimir Malevich és Viktor Hlebnyikov közös munkája, a Győzelem a nap felett című opera. Ez utóbbi tekinthető egyfajta profán tündérmesének, mely többnyire elmondott, nem énekelt szöveget tartalmaz. Valójában “csak” névleg opera vagy méginkább ikonoklasztikus antioperaként értelmezhető, melyet kifejezetten a múlt örökségének megkérdőjelezésére hoztak létre.
Hlebnyikovék munkája felforgatta az orosz népi kultúrát, miközben a tizenkilencedik századi idealizmus megsemmisítését vitte véghez. A nap egyrészről a természet megtestesítőjeként jelenik meg, melyet a technológia, a repülés, a gépek legyőznek, – ennek köszönhetően az ember megszabadul a természettől való függőségétől -, másrészt a szépség, az elnőiesedett Apolló követők jelképeként látjuk, akiknek a félreállításával kinyílhatott az út egy férfi korszak felé.
Az új világ futurisztikus jövőképével összekapcsolódó, töredékes jellegű, modernista zaumot úgy alakította ki Hlebnyikov, hogy a valóság észlelésének megváltoztatásával a valóság intuitívabb megértése felé vezesse közönségét. A költő fel akarta szabadítani az elmét a hagyományos gondolkodási mintáktól. Ennek elérése érdekében szuggesztív hangokat, szét-, majd újra összeszerelt mondatokat, neologizmusokat és magyarul nehezen visszaadható, megváltoztatott nemű főneveket alkalmazott. Az előadások korabeli közönsége kétkedve fogadta a művet, hiszen nehezen tudta értelmezni azt.
A szöveg fordítását nem találtam meg magyar nyelven, még részleteket sem belőle, így a The World’s First Futurist Opera, Victory Over the Sun című kiadvány alapján fordítottam az általam, juhoknak előadott részletet. A 2011-ben megjelent és Rosamund Bartlett és Sarah Dadswell által szerkesztett könyvben az angol nyelvű változat mellett Kruchenykh eredeti szövege is olvasható. A magyar fordítás során a költői neologizmusokat a digitális nyelvhasználat, úgynevezett digilektus napjainkban népszerű kifejezéseire cseréltem.
A háromcsatornás videóinstalláció mellett 14 darab, Az Utolsó Futurista Festészeti Kiállítás által inspirált, paszpartuzott fotó egészíti ki a művet. “Malevics azért fordult a mértani formákhoz, mert a dolgok lényegét így tudta kifejezni, így tudta megalkotni a világ szerkezetének legtökéletesebb képét” – írta Farkas Viola a nagy hatású festőről szóló cikkében, de közben utat nyitott annak a szinte végtelen számú reflexiónak is, melyek munkáival, időtlenségen és érzékenységen morfondírozó gondolkodásmódjával kölcsönhatásba akarnak lépni.
I am happy to be involved in Secondary Archive – Platform for women artists from Central and Eastern Europe, in which many great artists shared their experiences and thoughts on gender issues. Please be with us for the official inauguration at 11 AM on Friday 9th of April
The photo project Embrace Blue, Puzzle Through features twelve contemporary Hungarian photographers as part of the Small Steps Foundation’s campaign for World Autism Awareness Day.
Artists: Szabolcs Barakonyi, Róbert László Bácsi, Gabriella Csoszó, Zsuzsa Darab, Krisztina Erdei, Enikő Hangay, Dénes Mártonfai, Balázs Mohai, Zoltán Molnár, Marcell Piti, Éva Szombat, Szilvi Tóth
Curator: Gabriella Csizek
Through the images already known from other contexts or created specifically for the project, one finds a shared photographic attitude: the photographers show the hidden connections of reality according to their own worldviews, rendering the images meaningful both to them and to the viewers. The color blue, also known as the symbol of autism, appears differently in every image: sometimes subtly hidden, sometimes prominent, from the blue of the sky to the blue of the globe-ball.
2005. 01. 26. 14.26, Kiskundorozsma, Hungary (from the series Formalities)
The selected works each represent a distinct world, and together, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, they form the exhibition as a whole.
“SLOW LIFE. Radical Practices of the Everyday” is a group exhibition with an international scope, a commitment that reflects on today’s pressing global issues. The current logic of our world, the existing social & economic system and the market-consumer culture have caused serious environmental problems. The approach they are based upon is in crisis, and current practices cannot provide real solutions to excessive waste production and overconsumption, and to keep the exploitation of natural resources under control.
The beginnings of the Slow Revolution date back to the 1980s, to the protest against fast-food restaurants, which drew attention to the importance of healthy, quality food from local source. Carlo Petrini’s gastronomic initiative has expanded into a global movement over the decades, spanning many areas from work to travel and from design to media consumption. This approach to the slow shaping of life means that existing structures need to be rethought and established practices in the areas of society, business and everyday life need to be reorganized. Consciousness and critical stance are producing more and more new possible alternatives. Ideas from permaculture agriculture to zero waste households, from voluntary simplicity to the concept of a growth-free economy are gathered under this approach.
However, the exhibition does not focus on the ‘slow living’ movements so popular today, some of which limit their activities to offering new products and services for sale. Rather, it presents alternative practices, everyday “revolutions”, gentle or even radical approaches that challenge the existing growth- and profit-oriented system, show a way out of the consumption spiral, or represent an attitude based on the momentum instead of a busy life-style. The broad spectrum of genres on display includes artworks based on critical thinking, while others offer utopic models for future challenges, or encourage us to change our art consumption habits, as well as the clichés of perception and reception in connection with art.
The exhibition aims to show the environmental impacts and exploitation practices that have led to the current global environmental, economic and social problems. At the same time, the exhibition intends to create a broader platform for such artistic positions that emphasize sustainability and offer alternative ways of life.
Due to the global Covid-19 pandemic caused by the corona virus, the topics of the exhibition became imminent and urgent – “Slow life” has suddenly become an everyday reality, a forced way of life in the global world. The “Quarantine of Consumption”, the “Stay Home” movement, the decline in air traffic, the slowing economy are just some of the unexpected consequences of the virus, which ruthlessly point to the positive effects of a slower life, but which also pose enormous challenges for humanity.
“The festival Imago Lisboa intends to fill a blank space of the capital city.” – Rui Prata, Festival Director.
A 2ª edição do festival Imago Lisboa pretende dar continuidade a um acontecimento regular que potencialize as diferentes práticas fotográficas contemporâneas, sem esquecer a apresentação de autores de reconhecido valor histórico, cujo conhecimento é essencial para a compreensão das atuais narrativas. Na presente edição dá-se a conhecer, pela primeira vez no nosso país, o magnífico trabalho do fotógrafo americano, Todd Hido, presente no MNAC – Museu do Chiado. Distribuídos por vários espaços da cidade, iremos encontrar diferentes propostas que corporizam Novas Visões na Fotografia Contemporânea. Simultaneamente, encontramos outras exposições, resultado de parcerias com instituições locais associadas à fotografia (Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa – Fotográfico, Atelier de Lisboa e diversas galerias).
Em paralelo às exposições estão programadas um conjunto de ações tendentes à motivação e participação de novas audiências. O conjunto de atividades programadas procura, natural eprioritariamente, visar um público mais associado ao meio fotográfico. Porém, consideramos fundamental programar ações para o chamado grande público, e de diferentes níveis etários.De salientar a colaboração estabelecida com algumas bibliotecas municipais que irão acolher sessões sobre a história.
Krisztina Erdei exhibits her multimedia installation The Birth of Vénusz and other Stories.
Photo from the series Riseset, Victory over the Sun by Krisztina Erdei.
Slow Life. Radical Practices of the Everyday is a group exhibition with an international scope, a commitment that reflects on today’s pressing global issues. The current logic of our world, the existing social & economic system and the market-consumer culture have caused serious environmental problems. The approach they are based upon is in crisis, and current practices cannot provide real solutions to excessive waste production and overconsumption, and to keep the exploitation of natural resources under control.
The slow approach represents a need to rethink existing structures and reorganize established practices in the fields of society, economy and everyday life alike. Its essence can be best expressed by consciousness and critical attitude, which bring forth more and more possible alternatives, from permaculture farming to zero-waste household, from voluntary simplicity to the concept of a no-growth economy.
The beginnings of the Slow Revolution date back to the 1980s, to the protest against fast-food restaurants, which drew attention to the importance of healthy, quality food from local source. Carlo Petrini’s gastronomic initiative has expanded into a global movement over the decades, spanning many areas from work to travel and from design to media consumption. However, the exhibition does not focus on the ‘slow living’ movements so popular today, some of which limit their activities to offering new products and services for sale. Rather, it presents alternative practices, everyday “revolutions”, gentle or even radical approaches that challenge the existing growth- and profit-oriented system, show a way out of the consumption spiral, or represent an attitude based on the momentum instead of a busy life-style. The broad spectrum of genres on display includes artworks based on critical thinking, while others offer utopic models for future challenges, or encourage us to change our art consumption habits, as well as the clichés of perception and reception in connection with art.
The aim of the exhibition is to highlight the environmental impacts and exploitative practices that have led to the current global environmental, economic and social problems. Our other main objective is to provide a broader platform for artistic positions, which emphasize sustainability and offer alternative lifestyles.
In the course of this five-month exhibition, many events, workshops and discussions will take place inside the museum and outside the city as well. Once a month, we will hold an interdisciplinary theme day to focus on most crucial issues (nutrition, fashion and clothing industry, zero-waste household), with the participation of experts in the field or in the form of practical, knowledge-sharing workshops.
Exhibiting artists:
Bartha Gabó | Benczúr Emese | Anca Benera & Arnold Estefan | Ursula Biemann & Paulo Tavares | Erdei Krisztina | ex-artist’s collective (Kaszás Tamás & Lóránt Anikó) | Manfred Erjautz | Horváth Tibor | Horváth R. Gideon | Oto Hudec | Kaszás Tamás | Koronczi Endre | Lakner Antal | Diana Lelonek | Mátyási Péter | Petra Maitz | Oliver Ressler | Schuller Judit Flóra | Szabó Eszter Ágnes & Syporca Whandal | Süveges Rita | Lois Weinberger | Zilahi Anna
It all started in 1956. Tóni wasn’t really a hero, he was just a university student who happened to be living in the dormitory of the Budapest University of Technology, the dwellers of which played a key role in sparking off the revolution. They were seen as a thorn in the flesh of the ruling party at the time. This became clear as soon as the Russians started to invade the country, so Tóni thought it was time to leave and – after staying in Vienna for a few weeks – he started a new life in Canada.
Niagara Worms. Installation view in Ludwig Museum, Budapest, 2019
It’s never easy to emigrate – as a lot of Hungarian citizens have also now come to realize . If you don’t know your new country, its language, there’s no guarantee that you can make a living. For the family members in Hungary, Tóni was the rich Canadian uncle who brought Western chocolate to the kids and fancy cigarettes to the parents. From here, they couldn’t see his struggle to create a new existence, while from there, it was difficult for him to see how the members of the family he left behind came under scrutiny because of their defector relative. After many-many years, ultimately the family took the plunge and visited the emigrant uncle in Ottawa, bringing a few details to light.
Tóni’s first job in Canada was worm picking. For immigrants not speaking English, even today it is still one of the most obvious opportunities to make a living. Golf is popular among wealthy Canadians, golf courses occupy huge territories. At dusk, groups of people wearing rubber boots and equipped with headlamps and large tin cans swarm onto these fields to start hunting for fat nightcrawlers. Canadian earthworms are especially valued by anglers all around the world and are also used in large quantities by the beauty industry, so they are exported to almost everywhere in the world. And it’s a well-paid job: at the end of the 1950s, Tóni got 5 dollars for a box of nightcrawlers. It was tough and monotonous, but it was worth it. You could catch as many as 30,000 worms during a single night.
Niagara Worms. Installation view in Ludwig Museum, Budapest, 2019
In my photo series, the early struggles of the (im)migrant blend with past moments, the pictures of the family visit, the remnants of Hungarian identity and Canadian traditions. In a little more than eight hours every day, the video keeps repeating exactly 30,000 times the same moment of the Niagara Falls, illuminating the details of the carefully constructed milieu. Recalling the headlights, the spotlight beam spells out a brighter future on the wall, while the Canadian giant nightcrawlers brought to Budapest take possession of the objects left behind by those friends of mine who have recently moved abroad.
Niagara Worms. Installation view in Ludwig Museum, Budapest, 2019
Overcoming time and distance, the power of family bonds have survived unabated throughout these years, despite the marked differences in political views.
Mit tud adni a művész és a művészet az iskolának, az oktatás területének? És fordítva? Mitől lesz produktív, ha egy tanár és egy művész egyenrangúan dolgozik együtt diákokkal? Hogy lehet sikeres egy művészeti-oktatási projekt mind a művészet, mind a pedagógia területén? Ki volt Celestin Freinet és mitől releváns a mai napig a pedagógiai rendszere? Hogyan kapcsolódik mindez a demokráciához, az önszerveződéshez, a közéleti neveléshez, a kritikai pedagógiához? Hogyan lehet jól felépíteni demokratikus, nyitott végű, kreatív tanulási folyamatokat? Mi tanulható egy ilyen tanulási folyamatban? Igaz-e, hogy nincs tanítás, csak tanulás? Mérhető-e a tanulás eredmény, és egyáltalán kell-e mérni?
Karancs Fieszta, Salgótarján. Fotó: Hegedűs Márk
A salgótarjáni csoport fókuszába a város szívében évek óta üresen álló, a hatvanas, hetvenes években fénykorát élő Karancs Hotel került. A város lakóinak emlékeiből, archív újságcikkekből, rokonok emlékeiből rekonstruáltuk Salgótarján egyik szimbólumának történetét.A Demolab többi műhelye mellett a csoportunk kétéves közös munkájának eredményeit és dokumentációját mutatja be, köztük az egész várost felbolygató Éjszaka a hotelben című fényjátékot.
“A DemoLab a Demokratikus Ifjuságért Alapitvany programja. A lényege, hogy több (Magyarországon nyolc) helyen középiskolások egy pedagógussal és egy kortárs művésszel állnak össze, és a csapat együtt alkot valamit. Lássuk be, ez olyasminek hangzik, ami nagyon hasznos dolog a gyerekeknek, de rajtuk kívül egyáltalán nem érdekes senkinek. Salgótarjánban bebizonyították, hogy ez nem feltétlenül igaz.”
“A projekt egyik legfontosabb hozadéka az volt, hogy a középiskolás diákok megtanultak létrehozni valami jelentőset. Nem csak a művészi alkotásba kóstolhattak bele – bár abba is alaposan, hiszen rajzolniuk és fogalmazniuk épp úgy kellett, mint mondjuk kollázsokat készíteni vagy kerámiacsempéket. Ugyanakkor megismerhették azt is, hogyan kell végigvinni egy projektet. Ők tárgyaltak a főépítésszel, egyeztettek háztulajdonosokkal stb. Megtapasztalhatták, hogyan lesz egy egyszerű skiccből olyan alkotás, amire egy egész város kíváncsi. A fényjátékot például több százan nézték végig a helyszínen, és vagy 10 ezren a FB-streamen.” Zubreczki Dávid
A csoport tagjai: Erdei Krisztina,Virágos Erzsébet, Virágos Gergő, Plagány Petra, Kisbali Bence, Virágos Csongor, Tajti Bernát, Gasparova Nikola, Fejes Lolita, Kométh Kamilla, Praveczki Máté, Miklós Rea, Plavecz Krisztián, Tóth Dorottya, Gajdár Fanni
