In the Kovásznai Research Center researchers researching other researchers sometimes look inside, but sometimes also turn to others, when, for example, they talk to artists or let their fellow writers or poets perform at reading evenings. Colleagues and visitors who open their invitations and operate their filofax machine in the proper way could even take part twice…

On 8th November 2007 we organised a talk about how present day artists in their thirties and forties approach the artistic world of the 60’s and 70’s. What motivates young artists and animation film directors to reach back to certain works from Hungarian art of the 60’s and 70’s, and what methods do they use in doing so? What do they think the main components of the “historically effected consciousness” of an artist/work of art are? How do they reconstruct the artistic context of the recent past? Why do they think a piece of work/an entire oeuvre is worth re-contextualizing?
People who took part in the talk followed by a projection:
Bálint Havas (Kis Varsó group) – artist
Zsófia Péterffy – animation film director, screenwriter, artist
Bori Rutkai – artist, singer, gesamtkünstlerin
moderator: Brigitta Iványi-Bitter, art historian, representing the researchers researching other researchers

In June 2007 Ákos Szilágyi held a reading evening, which could also be interpreted in terms of music, including his breathing exercises for “beginner moribunds” and excerpts from his Scythian dictionary for the more advanced. The projection of Kovásznai’s painting film titled Ca Ira – Voice of Revolution (1972) accompanied Ákos Szilágyi’s performance and his reminiscences of György Kovásznai.

After a long silence several of György Kovásznai?s short films and his all-night animation film Foambath were projected again on 28th October 2007 on World Animation Day. You could find a detailed programme on the website manifeszt.hu.

In the special hall of Uránia Cinema there were 2 projections with lots of 20-year-old visitors. The expectations of the organizers concerning the all-night animation film Foambath (1979) were fulfilled, as its humour was fully understood by the audience, unlike at the premiere in 1980, when ? to say the least ? success failed. It seems that at the time the much respected audience did not expect an animation film like this. They did not understand the lack of surprises in the scenario or the psychedelic madness in the epicenter of the film. Is it possible that the exalted atmosphere of Foambath seems more natural today? Is young audience today more open to the alternative voices from the end of the 70?s? One thing is for sure: Kovásznai seems to be more up-to-date today than ever.
Regarding the projection of Foambath in October, Olivér Horváth?s (student at MOME) article, titled A fortaste of psychedelic sociography can be read here.

We wish we could show Foambath here, but that would require a projection room and 80 minutes.
Instead, let another film be here, which was the first big scandal in Kovásznai?s life.t.

The short film titled Guitarist Boy at the Old Gallery was made in 1964, at the beginning of Kovásznai?s career with the assistance of painter Dezső Korniss. It was the only film in the history of Pannonia Film Studio that was prohibited by Comrade Aczél; thus, it was only shown in 1988 for the first time. If there were FAQs (frequently asked questions) on this website, we should add ?What was regarded as improper about this film??. In fact, for younger generations it is completely incomprehensible as we cannot see any clear political symbols or allusions which would provoke the public against the system. What was it that Comrade Aczél considered dangerous in it? The naked woman? (Come on. Evil to him who evil thinks.) In the Research Centre the official correspondence regarding this has not been found (if there was any at all), but considering reports we can assume that modernist/avantgarde film language together with a classical picture collection conjuring up the world before socialism blew the fuse with style dictators.

An exhibition titledVisionary Realism was opened in the Lajos Street Exhibition Room of the Budapest Gallery in May 2007. Budapest Galéria Lajos utcai Kiállítótermében.
Gábor Andrási selected artists who typically created a distinctive visual world and whose work unjustly fell into oblivion.

Artists in this selection are: Ferenc Bolmányi, Ernő Hrabéczy, Gyula Jakoby, Ferenc Jánossy, György Kovásznai, Piroska Mersits, György Román, Gyula Sugár, and Gyula Szabó.

The exhibition showed seven of György Kovásznai?s oil paintings.

Its review was published in Új Művészet in July 2007.

A társadalmi kérdéseket feszegető, egyedi művészi animáció elfelejtett nagymestere Kovásznai György, akinek bizonyos alkotásaira kísértetiesen emlékeztet Nemes Csaba új projektje is…
Erről bővebben a Műértő online cikkében itt
Részlet a Remake-ből (bár ez nem pont az a rész, ami igazán emlékeztet Kovásznai munkáira, de hát ez van most a YouTube-on):

“semmi sem érdekesebb a valóságnál” – idézi Lisziák Elek a 25 éve elhúnyt festő-animátor-író-rendező-dramaturg-művészetfilozófust, a méltatlanul elfelejtett Kovásznai Györgyöt. Az interjú készítése óta sajnos már Lexi is örökeltávot kapott. Minden titkok feltárása előtt egy kis előzetes:

Ezt a remekül szerkesztett anyagot a kultplay.hu stábja készítette Lexivel 2007-ben, ők kapták “kameravégre” utoljára Kovásznai egyik közvetlen filmes kollégájának nyilatkozatát a közös munkákról, emlékekről.  Lexi a 60-as évektől együtt dolgozott Kovásznai stábjával, szinte mindegyik filmjében közreműködött. Rengeteg standfotózást és standfelvételt intézett a filmek előkészítéséhez, amik nélkül Kovásznai bele sem kezdett az anima verité filmek megrajzolásába. Lexi legfontosabb kontribúciója a Riportré filmben nyújtott társalkotói teljesítménye. A Riportré az a film, amiben a legegyértelműbben érzékelhető az anima verité koncepciója. Az alapanyagot különböző társadalmi szegmensek képviselőivel folytatott dokumentumfilm jellegű felvételek, filmre vett interjúk adták és ezeket később Kovásznai és Lexi átrajzolták. A Riportré-t 1981-ben készítették, amikor Kovásznai már igen beteg volt előrehaladott leukémiája miatt, így a legtöbb interjút Lexinek kellett elkészítenie.

Lexi 1998-ban készített egy nosztalgikus filmet Kovásznai emlékére Nefeljcs-Mr Joker címmel, amiben Kovásznai több vígjátékát és drámáját megeleveníti. Érdemes megnézni, sokat meg lehet tudni a 60-as, 70-es évek művészvilágáról.