Too late. The exhibit closes in 4 days. Well, not really too late, since I wouldn’t travel to Hungary in any case, on account of my politics. Or Victor Orbán’s and his administration’s, more precisely.

András Böröcz, “Barrels on Eggs” (1993-94), cardboard, cork, chicken eggs, duck eggs (photo by Dorka Hübner)

That said, ohh, would I have loved to see this exposition of ingeniously fabricated objects. (And, if anyone ever described my own work as “….represent(s) both the consciousness of homo faber and the ease of homo ludens,” as Agnes Berecz, a Pratt Institute prof of History of Art and Design did of András Böröcz’ sculptures, I’d die a happy woman.)

The Visual Chill of the Cold War Is More Relevant Than Ever

So what am I talking about? Non-Objective Objects, András Böröcz’s Art, curated by Márta Kovalovszky, is currently on show at Budapest’s Kunsthalle, a museum that has become a focal point of the tensions between progressive views and the reactionary Hungary administration.

András Böröcz, “The Head Accountant” (2013), carved pencil, oak, toilet plunger, straight pins, cork, tape measure (photo by Dorka Hübner)

From what I discerned from the reviews, the exhibition excels in both what is displayed and how it is displayed, the latter referenced as a cabinet-of-curiosities, Wunderkammer, perfectly suited to its contents.

The artist left Hungary in 1985 and is living in NYC. You can catch glimpses of his work here https://www.andrasborocz.com   and early reviews of the artist as a wizard and his work as magical here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/20/arts/art-in-review-andras-borocz.html 

Basically Böröcz takes everyday objects, both found in nature or manufactured and creates sculptures or tableaux from them that reference in all directions: politics, quotidian life, art history with a focus on surrealism, and again and again Jewish rituals that in themselves refer to political action. Yad, the Jewish pointer use in reading Torah,

noise makers for the Purim Megillah, Matzoh and more all appear in – sometimes satirical – disguises. Think of him as a Hungarian Max Ernst, landed in the 21st century, balancing learnedness with a fondness for craftsmanship, performance art and an unerring eye for historical parallels. As for the politics: read the Hyperallergic review linked to above, since I am keeping with my promise to be mum on them this week….

Let’s hope there will be a US- based retrospective soon!

Music today: a terrific version of Bartok’s Romanian Folk Dances, arranged for violin and piano, that perfectly matches the spirit of Böröcz’ work.

Photographs are select items found in different Wunderkammer settings in Lower Saxony, Germany…..