This catalogue stems from two eponymous exhibitions examining Hungary's
art scene's drive toward abstraction to reflect on the complex social
conditions of the country, from the 1960s to the present-day.
A penchant for abstraction when it comes to complex social conditions, a
drive to effect change, and a resilience of analysis and representation
are all characteristic of Hungary's art scene since the 1960s, and
especially of its “abstract artists.”
The abstracted visual language of Hungarian artists is thematized by the
Künstlerhaus in the 2019 exhibition “Ábstract Hungary” by Ákos Ezer, a
painter who thematically processes the present-day reality in his home
country. This theme is, in fact, a revival, for already in 2017 the venue
presented the group exhibition “Abstract Hungary.” With a sweeping
selection of twenty-four Hungarian artists, including Imre Bak, Tamás
Kaszás, Dóra Maurer, and Zsolt Tibor, the show was devoted to methods of
abstraction of varying dialogical nature. The exhibition represented a
more broad narrative blueprint of the much discussed term “abstraction”
and showed both established and aspiring artistic positions, some of which
were exhibited in Austria for the first time. This exhibition catalogue
expands these two projects, seeking to consolidate the abstracted
view of Hungary.
Published following the eponymous collective and solo exhibitions at
Künstlerhaus, Halle für Kunst und Medien, Graz, from June 24 to September
7, 2017, and from June 29 to September 5, 2019.
