YOU GREW UP IN HUNGARY DURING A TIME OF POLITICAL RESTRICTION, YET FOUND WAYS TO ABSORB WESTERN COUNTERCULTURE AND ART. HOW DID THAT SHAPE YOUR EARLY INTEREST IN VISUAL EXPRESSION?

In the 1970s, during the time I went to art school, we tried to work with the information that we had from the west. We created our little subculture, a parallel reality in a group of students. The way we had to hide and integrate these influences obsessively made us extremely strong, in a special way. In general, when an ideology is dominant and totalitarian, the elements that are systematically suppressed and forbidden become stronger underground and more creative through their constant struggle. We were affected by the culture from the west and through those few information, habits and ideas of the 68 movement. Generally, artists living in Hungary in the 1960 ́s and 1970 ́s faced a shortage. 

The lack of artistic freedom was hard to bear. In the works of the time you can observe a pop art direction based on Neo-Avant-Garde seasoned with Hungarian peculiarities and reflections of the reality of everyday Hungarian life. Living in a system of lies made artists and musicians particularly receptive to culture and hungry for change.

HUMOR AND THE GROTESQUE ARE KEY ELEMENTS IN YOUR WORK. HOW DO YOU SEE THOSE QUALITIES FUNCTIONING IN RELATION TO PERSONAL OR HISTORICAL TRAUMA?

Humour allows both artists and audiences to approach painful subjects in a less daunting way. It creates a space where difficult emotions can be examined without overwhelming despair. Jokes or absurd situations can provide relief from the weight of trauma, facilitating a sense of resilience and survival. In my work, I use humour and the grotesque to enable a dynamic interweaving of historical and personal trauma.

They serve not only as tools for coping and connection, but also as means of critique, identity exploration, and profound transformation. Through these elements, I try to facilitate conversations that embrace complexity, resilience, and, ultimately, hope.

YOUR FATHER’S OBSESSIVE COLLECTING GAVE YOU EARLY EXPOSURE TO A WORLD OF IMAGES. HOW HAS THAT “VISUAL ARCHIVE” LINGERED IN YOUR PRACTICE?

Our apartment was a special inspiration; a place full of art, from the floor to the ceiling, with pictures, books, antique glasses, silver watches, and furniture. My father was my first fan; he hung my drawings in his collection among real art. He told me about artists in my early childhood, showed me artist books, and read to me. He took me to museums and galleries, and also to auctions, where he regularly expanded his collection. He taught me how to see.

YOUR PROJECT NINETY-EIGHT PAGES, BASED ON YOUR MOTHER’S DIARY AFTER AUSCHWITZ, WAS A DEEPLY PERSONAL WORK. WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO TRANSLATE SUCH INTIMATE TEXT INTO VISUAL FORM?

Just the act of transcribing her handwriting with mine to make this faded text legible was an incomprehensible experience. It took me many weeks to come to terms with it, and it generated an uncanny closeness to her, an intimacy that I had never felt before. At that time, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I tried many different approaches and worked with various media to come closer to her fate.

I gradually realized that it was impossible to represent, and that I was not ready to show this horror. What was more shocking and moving was how she and the people in her life were ripped from their normality overnight. Thus, I worked with photographs, all taken in 1943, which show her in normal everyday situations.

The images assume a new very strong meaning in my eyes, it becomes clear how quickly everything can change, and that we should never forget!

YOUR CHARACTERS OFTEN FEEL EXAGGERATED, ALMOST MONSTROUS, YET DEEPLY HUMAN. WHAT DO THESE DISTORTED BODIES ALLOW YOU TO EXPRESS THAT MORE REALISTIC FIGURES CANNOT?

Portraying the body in a naturalistic way has lost much of its necessity since the history of photography. However, the search for one's own perspective has always fascinated the old masters as well. We can see it in masterpieces from various painters dating back to the Renaissance. The proportions of faces and bodies fluctuate according to the artist and the era. I learned to draw, and in art school, when we laid our drawings side by side, they were hardly distinguishable.

I believe the most important moment for me was learning to forget this training and to display the figures as I see them: distorted. Additionally, the blending of human and animal elements has become an important aspect for me in telling my stories. It took me a long time to dare to express this.

WHAT WAS YOUR INITIAL REACTION WHEN 4BYSIX INVITED YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN A PROJECT THAT COMBINES ART WITH SOCIAL PURPOSE?

It was easy and quick. My initial reaction was one of excitement and inspiration. I loved the idea with the bus panels! I think it's wonderful that I can contribute to that in some way.

YOUR WORK DEALS WITH BOTH INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY AND COLLECTIVE HISTORY. HOW DO YOU SEE THAT DIALOGUE RESONATING IN THE CONTEXT OF SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES THROUGH ART?

It would be a lie to say that my intention in painting has such concrete objectives. No, I paint because I have always painted, because this always has been my tool to explain “the stories,” and because I love it. The fact that it moves people or inspires them to think  in some way is certainly very gratifying and beautiful, but it is not something I consciously aim for.

CAN YOU SHARE THE CONCEPT OR EMOTIONAL IMPULSE BEHIND THE PIECE YOU CREATED FOR THE 4BYSIX AUCTION?

It was no concept; it was the shape and the circumstances of the panel. For example, I had one with this button... I mean, it really made it very easy for me to see immediately how I can use this for my purposes...

WHAT DO YOU HOPE AUDIENCES TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR WORK, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT IS SHOWN IN A CONTEXT BEYOND THE TRADITIONAL GALLERY SPACE?

I don’t think I can wish or hope how the audience generally reacts to my works. The hope would block me from making freely what comes to my mind.

LOOKING FORWARD, WHAT THEMES OR QUESTIONS ARE DRIVING YOUR NEXT CHAPTER OF WORK?

I’m not going to change much in terms of themes and questions as my pool of images is never-ending. What I’m more interested in over the last couple of years is the third dimension: sculpture.

My figures jumped out of the canvas, and I’m really enjoying life with them...