Source: MTI
The exhibition entitled Code + Canvas: Post-digital works from the collection of the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) showcases works by contemporary Hungarian artists. The exhibition opened on February 8, 2024, in Berlin at the Collegium Hungaricum (CHB) created in collaboration between MNB Arts and Culture and CHB, presents a selection of contemporary artworks from the central bank's collection, curated by Kinga Hamvai and Zsuzska Petró, until March 22.
This selection of masterpieces by emerging artists of Generation Y (born between 1980 and 1994) highlights one of the most significant artistic tendencies of recent years, the post-digital movement. The nine Hungarian artists showcase a diverse range of expressive forms, alongside the technological advancements and challenges of the post-digital era, at the exhibition.
Members of the Y generation, referred to as digital natives following the concept introduced by American writer Prensky, were born into the world of computers, the internet, and social media, which brought about substantial changes not only in their social relationships but also in their perception of reality. The Code + Canvas exhibition offers insights into the reality and artistic perception of this generation, showcasing one of the most important artistic trends of recent years.
The exhibited artists employ various strategies to find a balance between the digital and analog worlds. Some partially or completely design their works using digital technology, which they then combine with traditional image-making techniques. Others explore printmaking techniques, the reproducibility of images, originals, and copies, as well as the intricate relationship between humans and machines, as stated in the press release.
As well as the striking presence of post-digital visual culture (the aesthetics of flickering screens, perfect colour transitions, glitches), the exhibiting artists are inextricably linked to traditions of art and painting.
The press release also mentions that both the Collegium Hungaricum Berlin and the Hungarian National Bank are celebrating their 100th anniversary in 2024. "Since the inception of building the art collection, the MNB has made it a priority to make the works visible to the general public, considering them as part of our national heritage and treating them accordingly," quoted Kinga Hamvai, the Head of MNB Arts and Culture and one of the curators of the exhibition. She added that the hundred-year-old MNB is proud of its activities in supporting the arts and connecting culture with the economy.
Kinga Hamvai expressed particular joy that two hundred-year-old institutions collaborated in the creation of the exhibition. "The jubilee exhibition held at CHB pays tribute to the enduring role of the institution as a catalyst for cultural exchange and innovation. Over the past century, CHB has continuously served as a space for pioneering artistic and scientific dialogues," quoted Márta Nagy, the Director of the institute.
