Category Archives: Hungarian art

Democracy, sche-mocracy: “I don’t give a damn for this modern democracy”

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For English subtitles, you may have to turn on the caption feature (first button, bottom right).

I wrote a bit about conservative controls on the Hungarian arts scene a couple weeks ago, but now there is a much better piece explaining the situation on ArtLeaks, based on a statement from the International Association of Critics, called “The anti-democratic makeover of the cultural scene in Hungary.” Also see the aptly titled “The Lunatics are Running the Asylum” post over on Beyond East.

Or, just take these titles at their word and revel in the absurdity of the comments in the video above of Gyorgy Fekete. Fekete, the head of the Hungarian Academy of Artists (MMA), was recently given control of Hungary’s entire cultural budget with an authority unmatched since Socialism. There is much choice language in the video above, an appreciation of which is only enhanced by further reading of the above listed articles, which elucidate the difference between reality and Fekete’s statements further. However, my personal favorites are:

  • “unambiguous national sentiment” being the third requirement for membership in the MMA, that is “someone who feels at home and doesn’t travel abroad in order to revile Hungary from there.” [00:47]
  • “There must not be blasphemy in state-run institutions.” [2:19]
  • “This is about a Hungary built on Christian culture; there is no need for constant, perpetual provocation.” [2:25]
  • “I don’t give a damn for this modern democracy” [2:46]

    • And it’s certainly worth watching to the end. On his haircut, he remarks:

  • “I cut it myself.” [3:38]

Stay informed of absurd news on the Hungarian cultural scene (and hopefully more positive news as well)! Now in English! Check it out here: Autonomy for Art in Hungary.

News from the Future in Dunaujvaros

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At the Institute of Contemporary Art, Dunaújváros (ICA-D), a group exhibition by members of the Studio of Young Artist’s Association (SYAA) is currently up.  Arranged in thematic groups, one installation I was very intrigued by was “News From the Future” by Péter Szabó and Csaba Szentesi. The artist’s took artwork from the collection of ICA-D and arranged it as furniture, creating as close to a livable home as possible when you use paintings for a bed and sculpture for lightening. In this piece, artworks made in between 1989 and 2010 were used, including those of local artists, the younger generation of artists and internationally recognized Hungarian names. The premise of the work is to imagine a future time when a homeless person moves into a derelict building and must create a living space out of what is left behind.

This is not just a broad commentary on the utility of art. The ICA-D faces substantial funding problems from the local government, and may indeed shut down next year. So the future where this building may become derelict, at least in an a metaphorical sense, is perhaps not so far off. This is unfortunate in itself, but so is the question also raised here, about how the institution’s collection will be cared for and shown, if at all.

 

Antal Lakner’s Passive Working Devices at the Ludwig Museum

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Antal Lakner’s retrospective exhibition Workstation at the Ludwig Museum, Budapest, covers the artist’s oeuvre of engaging, design-oriented conceptual artworks that challenge the passivity of the museum environment and the individual’s response to contemporary life. My favorite works, which are representative of many of Lakner’s concerns, are the INERS Passive Working Devices. It is a scientific-sounding name for these cleanly designed  machines that look as if they belong in a gym or an office–in fact, exactly the haunts of our post-industrial society of office workers who must pursue physical activity as exercise, a leisure activity, rather than as a necessary part of everyday life. Absurdly, these machines mimic the actions of formerly common labor, such as sawing, walking with a wheelbarrow, and house painting, transforming them into exercises that produce no result.

A demonstration of the Passive Working Devices in action:

Forest Master in action.

Home Transporter (1999) in action.

Wall Master (1998) in action.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These devices highlight Lakner’s interest in the individual’s role in society, here in relation to physical labor. The obviously playful, interactive aspect of these devices belies their critical nature. There is a tension in the absurdity of the work which mimics usefulness but serves no purpose, between the carefully manufactured aesthetic that is in fact hand-made, and in the interactivity of machines which call for action while questioning agency. All these tensions suggest that modern life might turn us into automatons if we do not remain aware of the issues that the INERS Passive Working Devices bring up.

Zoom Glove

Lakner’s newer work, First Life Tools, is based on web communication devices and here the critique of modern life breaks down a bit. The tools allow you to practice zooming, work out your scrolling fingers on a little track wheel, or drag a heavy, magnetized mouse that strengthens your hand and arm. After a day of Photoshop, these devices might seem incredibly relevant in a non-ironic sense. Certainly the technology the devices train you for is contemporary, but I think the anxiety over technology in contemporary life (think Marshall McLuhan) that the First Life Tools suggest feels dated. More than that, I can’t help thinking that the focus on the physical isn’t nearly as relevant to web communication as, for example, dealing with the mental schizophrenia of trying to keep up with many streams of online information on multiple wired devices would be.

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