Activism and Artistic Strategies
In this interview, artists Csaba Nemes and Szabolcs KissPál, leading members of the Free Artists group, speak to Drs. Maja and Reuben Fowkes, of the Translocal Institute, about the challenges posed by controversial government policies towards the arts in Hungary. Nemes and Kisspál also share how they see the contemporary art scene evolving in the future.
Csaba Nemes is an artist, whose work, which includes painting, video and conceptual projects, has been shown internationally. He studied painting at the Fine Art Academy Budapest, Hungary, and received his doctorate at the same school in 2010, focusing on the political context in contemporary Hungarian art. He teaches and lectures at the Art Faculty of PTE, Pécs, Hungary. He lives and works in Budapest.
Szabolcs KissPál is a multidisciplinary artist, working across a wide range of media, including photography, video, installation and conceptual interventions. His work focuses on issues related to perception and on social and political issues of the contemporary society. His work has been shown internationally in Europe, Asia, and the United States, in venues such as the Venice Biennial, the Whitstable Biennial, W139 Amsterdam, NCCA Moscow, the Seoul Media Art Biennial, and Apexart and ISCP, New York.
Maja and Reuben Fowkes are curators and art historians working from Budapest and London, whose work focuses on the theory and aesthetics of contemporary East European art.
Hungary in Focus: Conservative Politics and Its Impact on the Arts. A Forum