FOCUS ON HUNGARY: THE VIEWER

WE H E T R IV E FOCUS ON HUNGARY

THE VIEWER

FRESH FAIR 2019 TEL AVIV

T V H E IE E R W

FOCUS ON HUNGARY

FRESH FAIR 2019 TEL AVIV

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This year marks the 30 th anniversary of the historical events in Central Europe leading to the collapse of communism and the regaining of our freedom and sovereignty.

These events have also led to the reestablishment of diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. It is of great pleasure that on the occasion of the 30 th anniversary we are able to present to the people of Israel a wide range of cultural events, a comprehensive selection of Hungarian art and culture, opening a window not only on our heritage but also on the modern and innovative aspects of our nation.

I hope that the programs of the Cultural Season running from March to October will enhance the knowledge about Hungary and our cultural achievements, strengthen the friendship between our countries and open up new fields of cooperation.

Contemporary art has an important place in the programs of the Hungarian Cultural Season. Therefore we are particularly

proud to be present at Fresh Fair, Israel’s largest contemporary art event with a representative collection titled FOCUS ON HUNGARY: THE VIEWER. The selection of works is inspired by current trends and shows how fashion and visual arts cross paths. Let me invite you to take a tour with us to enjoy contemporary Hungarian art.

Márton SCHŐBERL Deputy State Secretary for Cultural Diplomacy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary

Hungarian art is placed in the focus of attention at Fresh Fair, Israel’s leading contemporary art event in 2019: a wise decision and a perfect match. Whenever the intention is to make art available to a wide range of spectators, one just can’t think of a better place than an art fair.

And Fresh Fair goes far beyond being just another art event: it performs excellently as a meeting place where culture provides a good reason for so many of Israel’s social, economic and political stakeholders to get together; in 2019, Hungarian art serves as one of the main reasons for them to do so.

The challenge in front of the curator and organizers of the show was tough as they had to produce an exhibition that is relevant for the local audience while representative of the place of origin it is coming from. FOCUS ON HUNGARY: THE VIEWER elegantly balances between these two expectations.

It achieves to present Hungary as a source of high quality, thoughtful, brilliantly creative

artistic content also giving a hint of what is available in the portfolios of some of Hungary’s leading art galleries, while it also manages to engage the local audience into pleasant and thought-provoking interaction with the exhibited artworks.

Promoting artistic dialogue between Israel and Hungary is not new to the partners behind the making of this show: Fresh Fair previously hosted Working Paper, a joint group exhibition of Israeli and Hungarian artists, while Art Market Budapest recently welcomed Israel as guest of honor in Budapest.

It was a thrill and pleasure for our team to be involved in creating this exhibition, which we hope will lead to similar events in the future for the benefit of our audiences in both our countries and far beyond.

Attila LEDÉNYI Founding Director, Art Market Budapest

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FOCUS ON HUNGARY AT FRESH FAIR, TEL AVIV, 2019

FOCUS ON HUNGARY is a curated exhibition presented as the contemporary visual art component of the Hungarian Cultural Season in Israel in 2019 and a highlight of Fresh Fair, Israel’s leading annual contemporary art event.

Based on previous cooperation between Fresh Fair and Art Market Budapest, Central and Eastern Europe’s leading international art fair, the exhibition builds on the results and conclusions of presentations of Hungarian contemporary art in previous years in Tel Aviv, including a show titled Working Paper realized in 2017 as a special selection of works

by Hungarian and Israeli artists.

The concept for FOCUS ON HUNGARY is actually created on the basis of the same curatorial background as the exhibition in 2017, and aims to present a section of Hungarian contemporary art that highlights the offer of some of Hungary’s

top art galleries, while also fits well into the context provided by the overall concept of Fresh Fair, and intends to meet the expectations of the audience visiting the show in Tel Aviv. This is referred to in the curatorial title of the show THE VIEWER, putting the emphasis on the intimate relationship between the observer and the object.

THE VIEWER PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: EMESE BENCZÚR, ISTVÁN FELSMANN, ÁRPÁD FORGÓ, ANDI GÁLDI VINKÓ, LÁSZLÓ GYŐRFFY, PATRÍCIA KALICZKA, MIRA DALMA MAKAI, RITA SÜVEGES, ZSÓFIA SZEMZŐ

The curator’s selection of works by Hungarian artists created specifically for presentation at Fresh Fair 2019 in Tel Aviv is inspired by a current trend and phenomenon with a spectacular impact on visual culture, and observes how fashion and visual art cross paths. In recent years, mostly thanks to Instagram and other online platforms, general awareness about trends in lifestyle and clothing increased immensely which has a direct impact on general aesthetics and an indirect influence on how visual art reflects on everyday life.

Usually we think about art as an elitist, inaccessible product, and the art scene often feeds or even amplifies this perception.

To make us perceive and live with art the same way as we embraced fashion on a common level, art should be seen inspired by everyday life and reflective of current trends. In this globalized communication system increasingly dominated by the internet and social media, exchange of information

is fast and accessible, therefore art also should be more accessible and discussable, just like fashion. Art needs to understand the language of the world and be critical about it.

The curatorial concept behind the exhibition focuses on artworks and artists who understand the current trends not only in such particular areas as fashion but also in our overall lifestyle, however, they do it with a critical and personal approach. THE VIEWER selects from works by the young and mid-career generations of Hungarian artists represented by some of Budapest’s leading art galleries.

Fruzsina KIGYÓS Curator

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EMESE BENCZÚR

(1969)

Emese BENCZÚR Let it shine 2016 earrings, glitter, wood 110x40 cm

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ISTVร N FELSMANN

(1981)

Istvรกn FELSMANN Abracadabra no egg 2019 silicon 40 cm

Istvรกn FELSMANN ICA-D- fictive collection 2019 mixed media various size

Istvรกn FELSMANN Court pictures 2019 wood, metal, glass 40x50 cm

ÁRPÁD FORGÓ (1972)

Árpád FORGÓ Konstruktivistisk 4 2017 acrylic on shaped canvas, cedar 48x40x7 cm

Árpád FORGÓ Cherry 2016 acrylic on shaped canvas 43x132x24 cm

Árpád FORGÓ 1L1N 2016 acrylic on shaped canvas 59x40x4 cm

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ANDI GÁLDI VINKÓ (1981)

Andi GÁLDI VINKÓ Paradisco series 2018 photo 30x40 cm / piece

LÁSZLÓ GYŐRFFY

(1976)

László GYŐRFFY Miscellaneous debris 14, 17, 18, 20 2011 watercolor and pencil on paper 21x29.7 cm / piece

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PATRÍCIA KALICZKA

(1988)

Patrícia KALICZKA Old time’s nostalgia for even older ages 2009-2018 oil on canvas 60x50 cm

MIRA DALMA MAKAI

(1990)

Mira DALMA MAKAI Claws and leaves XVII, XVIII, XVI 2018 ceramic 40x35 cm / piece

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RITA SÜVEGES

(1986)

Rita SÜVEGES Trash of P.M. 2016 acrylic on canvas 70x50 cm / piece

ZSÓFIA SZEMZŐ (1982)

Zsófia SZEMZŐ Secret 2019 collage, paper 42.5x32.5 cm / piece

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FOCUS ON HUNGARY

THE VIEWER

Fresh Fair 2019 Tel Aviv, Israel May 30 – June 3, 2019

The exhibition was created as the contemporary visual art component of the Hungarian Cultural Season in Israel in 2019 and a highlight of Fresh Fair 2019.

Organizer: EDGE Communications (info@edge.hu) Curator: Fruzsina KIGYÓS Graphic design: Andrea CSUPORT Hajnalka ILLÉS The organizers wish to thank representatives of the participating artists for their cooperation: acb Gallery Art+Text Budapest Gallery Erika Deák Gallery Inda Gallery Ani Molnár Gallery Várfok Gallery Viltin Gallery FOCUS ON HUNGARY: THE VIEWER was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary

FOCUS ON HUNGARY

THE VIEWER

FRESH FAIR 2019 TEL AVIV