10 Treurenberg, 1000 Brussels
With the intention of linking it to universal art, the title Romaissance, related to Renaissance art, explores the multifaceted essence of Roma art, from the initial, early and modern painters to the professional artists who have already appeared. A small selection of works by Roma artists from Hungary will be presented from the diverse expressions of Roma art.
A brief introduction of the exhibiting artists:
Bari Janó – painter, sculptor
Growing up in Kazincbarcika with 9 siblings Janó Bari has been attracted to the world of painting since childhood. An experimental artist, he tried many things before developing his own unique style. He has exhibited and participated in numerous solo, group and thematic exhibitions and has achieved success with his abstract landscapes, mythical, religious, figurative paintings and still lifes.
Bódi Barbara Boba – painter, artist-educator, sociologist
Since childhood, art and culture have permeated her everyday life. Over the years, she has developed into a multifaceted artist, able to successfully combine different artistic disciplines and trends. Her research interests include the Gypsy/Roma art movement and its process of change in the second half of the 20th century in the context of social emancipation - where her creative work and her knowledge of art theory are also applied to the sociology of art.
Farkas Attila – painter
He has always been interested in the Roma community and the lives of people living on the poor margins, so after graduating from high school in 2001 he joined the Independent Media Centre's journalism trainee programme. Since 2006, he has been involved in the work of creative camps for Roma people. He and his wife are still active artists and exhibitors.
Gaudi Márton - painter, sculptor
His artistic career began in 1998, making terracotta sculptures, and since 2000 he has been painting pictures in oil on wood or canvas. He is very interested in the relationship between the universe and man, the signs of the zodiac, the human soul and behavioural culture, and the deciphering of dreams. Since the 2000s, he has been involved in the work of the art camp organised by the Gypsy House and has participated in the group exhibitions at the camp.
Jakab Krisztán – painter, dancer, choreographer
The artist wanted to become a painter since he was a kid but only started taking painting seriously a few years ago. Krisztián, who is the professional director, choreographer and dance teacher of the Roma Dance House in Cegléd and a Roma municipal councillor, is most inspired by Béla Czóbel, but he also has role models in Cegléd, such as Gyula Bakányi, Gábor Sütő and Edit Sütő. The latter have also accepted him as a pupil and helped him to develop.
Jancsó Zoltán – painter, gallery director
For the now successful gallery director and painter, family traumas and a dream trip to Mexico were the fuse. After 4 years in Mexico, an unexpected domestic success also knocked on his door when he organised an art camp in Fonyód, where after meeting some old friends a spontaneous, informal idea was turned into a film called Jacky's World, which was shown in more than 20 cinemas around the country. In 2014 he opened a gallery, Jancsó Art Gallery Artists Association: in addition to permanent exhibitions in a mixed style, the programme includes occasional temporary performances and public street paintings.
Kállai Gilda – painter
She was attracted to visual representation from an early age, and her painting style is surrealist and Dadaist. She likes to experiment with different techniques and media. Her art is inspired by the human psyche, nudes and the works of other artists such as Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo and Francesco Clemente, among others. In 2020, she began to take up painting more seriously after winning and completing the online course at the Old Masters Academy.
Lakatos Klára – painter, illustrator, graphic artist
She started drawing at university, since 2001, she has been an exhibiting artist and her illustration work is also significant, in addition to Zsolt Csanya Szolnoki's book of poems, she has illustrated her own storybook, and has illustrated several magazines. The artist's works, especially her oil paintings, make significant use of Roma folk art motifs, which, in addition to being decorative, serve to preserve tradition. She earns her living by teaching and giving art classes for children.
Orsósné Rácz Gyöngyi – painter, graphic artist
Along with working full time in the office she has several hobbies: singing in the Novi Cantores in Piliscsaba, crocheting dolls, painting and drawing. She likes bright colours and improvisation in her art, she is an experimental artist, she tries all kinds of techniques and materials. For her, painting is like meditation and healing, which is why she is planning to study art therapy.
Ráczné Kalányos Gyöngyi – painter, illustrator
She loved to draw and paint since kindergarten and elementary school, the memories of her childhood in the Kossuth Akna gypsy camp in Komló and the stories of her grandfather appear in her works, with animals, especially birds and winged people as symbols. She is increasingly inspired by her own life and the lives of her fellow citizens, and is interested in faith in God, motherhood, the way of life and traditions of the gypsy community, the traditional crafts of the gypsy community also come to life in her paintings.
Varga László – painter
Born is an Roma family in Cseger, he first entered the world of painting in college when started a fine arts course at the Nyíregyháza Teacher Training College. The main subject of his paintings is the world of the gypsies, his style is realistic by intention, but it is permeated by a folk art nouveau, which directs the imagination into a world of serenity and optimism. “We can say that Gypsy painting is an existing concept, we will not disappear without a trace in the history of universal culture.”
Vári Zsolt – painter
Growing up in state care, his creative work is shaped by his childhood, as director of the Hungarian Roma Gallery he organised art competitions for children in state care from 2006, and was involved in talent management for 11 years. He mostly paints portraits, mostly starting from photographs and developing them with moody elements of personality and reason.