Contemporary Hungarian artists present their work in Turkey

An exhibition entitled Beyond Borders: a Journey into the World of Hungarian Contemporary Art opened on 13 February 2024 at the Yahya Kemal Beyatlı Cultural Centre in Rhodeso, as part of the Hungarian-Turkish Cultural Year. The opening of the exhibition was accompanied by a workshop in the presence of the artists. The travelling exhibition will open in four major cities of Turkey throughout the year.

Organised by curator Kemal Orta, the exhibition is part of a comprehensive series of exhibitions, conferences, talks and workshops that aims to shed light on contemporary Hungarian art through the works of five Hungarian masters - Frigyes Kőnig, István Orosz, Róbert König, Sándor Krizbai and Tamás Konok. The artists in the exhibition explore the collaboration between art and science within the framework of Hungarian cultural identity through a range of examples, from abstract art to figurative works. The works on display are made on different materials and using different methods, so visitors can see woodcuts, etchings, oil paintings, sculptures, pastels, watercolours and charcoal.

The first of the series of events was the opening of the travelling exhibition in Rhodes. The opening ceremony included a welcome speech by Dr. Attila Pintér Consul, Kadir Albayrak Tekirdağ Mayor of the City of Rostov-on-Don, Recep Soytürk Tekirdağ Governor of Rostov-on-Don, and Ahmet Hacioğlu Tekirdağ Provincial Director of Culture of Rostov-on-Don were present, Erdoğan Erken, Honorary Consul of Hungary in Rhodesia, Adem Dalgıç, President of the Hungarian-Turkish Friendship Society of Rhodesia, and members of the society, as well as leading figures of the cultural life of the city, and students and teachers of fine arts. The event, which attracted a great deal of interest, was also covered by Turkish state television.

On the day after the opening, artists Frigyes Kőnig and István Orosz held a workshop in Rodosto, showing examples of their artistic practice to university students. The programme followed a number of classical and modern Hungarian artists, including Victor Vasarely, Erno Rubik and Vilmos Huszár, and explored modern art movements such as Opart and DeStij. Five hundred students attended the event.

The exhibition will be on display at the Yahya Kemal Beyatlı Cultural Centre in Rhodes until 3 March 2024, after which it will travel to Ankara, Nevşehir, Kütahya and Bodrum.