ARC‘s exhibition of billboards at Ötvenhatosok square below the park asked artists to address the theme “…with good cheer and prosperity” from the line “God bless the Hungarians with good cheer and prosperity” from the national anthem.

Given the economy, it’s not surprising that many responses are not very happy (although I still have a lot I want to try to decipher through Google Translate). They do offer very interesting insight into the Hungarian mind and situation. The explanatory text also mentions how the free expression exemplified here would have been unimaginable 20 years ago.  (And if you, as an American like myself, might be tempted to dismiss this with an offhand ‘so what’, check out this article about current Czech politics and libel from The Economist.)

Message to God, Németh Adreinn, Farkas Júlia, Koncz Gabriella, Szabolc András, Sebestyén, Eszter

In memoriam TV Teddy, Peter Szabina

Dare to Dream, Megszűnt könyvtár

Mentality, Szabo Julcsi

Statue erection game, Kovács István Haykovats

Viktor Orbán Petting Zoo, Kovács Ambrus

Ki a magyar?

Welcome to the Hungary 8-bit version