Hommage to Kovásznai

Animation on the boarder between fine arts and film

Location: Millenáris C épület, Gallery Pixel
On show: October 2 ? January 20, 2008

Directors of films projected at exhibition:

György Kovásznai, László Csáki, Lajos Csontó. Tomek Ducki, Ágnes Háy, László 2 Hegedűs, Réka Gacs, Éva Magyarósi, Krstic Milorad, Csaba Nemes, István Orosz, Szabolcs Pálfi, Tamás Patrovits, Zsófia Péterffy, Bori Rutkai, Tamás Waliczky.

Curator: Brigitta Iványi-Bitter

“Are there 30 animators who would risk their lives to break through into being?” the reader is asked in Homeland Animation(1982) – in the essay called Roamings with Takamura in the Hungarian Disneyland by György Kovásznai (1934-1983) who had died 2 decades ago, being the eminent talent of the Hungarian fine and animation arts. In the memories of younger generations Kovásznai was a legendary free and tentative spirit of the time whose influence still lives. What makes this misterious creating freedom? Kovásznai’s open approach, animation, visualizing approach to fine arts and filmmaking have all become usual by now. At the exhibition Hungarian artists participated in Kovásznai’s film projection, carrying on the animation in this tentative, autonomous spirit on the border between the genres of fine arts and film.

At this exhibition a special selection can be seen out of Kovásznai’s extended life-works which are bonded up with the artist’s paintings, graphics and his literary and philosophical works. At the Pixel Gallery paintings and cellanimation films from the 60’s and the 70’s stand right next to today?s filmmakers working in similar spiritual approach, which only shows how contemporary Kovásznai’s pieces are, even though they originated 30 – 40 years ago.

Animation as a confirmation of an individual, autonomous and tentative filming genre on the boarder between fine arts and film is due to Kovásznai’s life works as well. Kovásznai was working outside the fine art institutions, his tentative and spiritual films were created in co-operation with a small, closed group in Pannónia Filmstudio. He had made several films with Dezső Korniss from 1963, which were demonstartive evidences of a new filming languagewhich is mostly the continuity of an avantgard visual world among wars, but at the same time corresponds to the tentative animations claiming fine arts in the 60’s (here principally Polish, Bohemian paralells should be mentioned). The priority of visual language plays down the plot told in the late 60’s. From the beginning of the 70’s, the documentary approach was on the rise in Kovásznai’s films; various documentaries were shot onto 35 mm film. Different ratio changes of animation pictures determine this period, and by the end of the 70’s in the film titled Bubble Bath the psychodelic inspiration from the Yellow submarine can be felt, which later culminates with documentary films examining social issues. in the film titled Bubble Bath, the psychodelic inspiration from the Yellow submarine can be felt, which later culminates in documentary films.

His films either faced total incomprehension, reticence (e.g. the film titled “The Boy with the Guitar int he Old Gallery”, 1964 was banned by György Aczél, and only in 1988 was it shown in public) or received international awards. The fundamentals of the films exhibited mirrored Kovásznai’s approach, which says that animation, fine arts and film can cohere tightly: ?in reality, an animation film is a synthesis and a complement of natur films and fine arts – he writes in his essay titled – “Working method of composing a Budding”, 1971.

This group exhibition also indicates that the positioning of autonomous animation short films has changed in the last two decades thanks to the newly positioned genre and the practise of introducing West-Europian fine art institutions. The distribution of these films is not the only tsuited to cinemas and film weeks any more, but also comes under the category of fine art.

Insisting on the avantgard, processing documentaries, current social and public topics and the tentative spirit are the major connecting points of the films exhibited.

We are looking forward to seeing you at the public event of Kovásznai Research Center.

Sándor Radnóti and László dr. Végh are reunioning after nearly 40 years and refreshing the artistic world of the 60?s, bringing you places and stories that are already almost forgotten and only occasionally mentioned by few.

Moderator: Júlia Váradi
Date: Tuesday 23 September, 6.30 p.m.

Complimentary copies of Kovásznai album showed in spring can be taken away

Dezső Korniss’s life-work exhibition opens by on 13th of September 5 p.m. on the occasion of the 100-year-anniversaryof the artist?s birthday.
Kovásznai shot five films with Dezső Korniss between1963 and 1970 under the aegis of Pannónia Filmstudio. They got acquainted in1958 and since then they shared tight creative and personal connections.Thus, their mutual influence can be noticed in their works. Especially their first creation the film titled “Monologue”, had a remarkable effect. It was first projected in 1964, and proved to be a worthy continuity of the avantgard scene from before World War II. Even in this collage film you can savor the method called constructive-surrealist semathik worked out by Dezső Korniss and Lajos Vajda in 1963.This kind of concious collection of motives and picture creation results in their first film’s scenery while honest approach to their profession, open develpoment of family stories and putting them into wider historical context ensures the self-reflexion, hence creating a multi-layered film. Further films were made along the same lines of experimentation. It is enough to watch the “Diary of a painter”, where series of Korniss’s paintings moulding into each other create a narrativa, while in their work titled “Something different” we come to know the story of a woman through moderate, minimalist animation intervention.