Spring Exhibits II.

Spring is a very special season for young contemporary artists, since the winners of the Derkovits Bursary are announced at this time of the year. This acclaimed award is a very significant one, as it is the only federal award which is intended to support entrant artists under the age of 35.) Although the idea of the bursary is an unparalleled one in Hungary, the total sum of money that these beginning artists are given is a fairly modest one (eighty thousand forints per eleven months.) Still, it is better than nothing, and besides the money, it means a real prestige for a young artist to partake in the Derkovits Bursary, particularly in light of the fact that there are approximately two hundred applicants each year. Moreover, it is a great improvement compared to the previous years that the artists are allowed to participate in other exhibitions and projects as well.

As usual, the three classes of the previous year's winners have an exhibition in Ernst Múzeum at springtime. The current exhibit was opened at 9 April, and it features a wide array of colorful works both stylistically and with regards to their genre.
As the critiques observed, the artworks of this year are unusually mature and conscious regarding their themes and construction. The majority of them show a chaotic, yet witty blend of techniques, resulting in astounding and inventive pieces. However, the best of them do not only remain on the playground, but take a look at the street as well: there are several works which carry a strong social connotation as well, and thus leaves the grounds of l'art pour l'art. As some experts indicate, this could freshen and energize the Hungarian artistic arena.

Even though the versatile and playful exhibition promotes an incredible amount of works, which have a blurry conversation with each other and the visitor, there are no particular pieces which are emphasized in the exhibit. All the artworks exist in the same space and in the same time with equal importance.
Although it is pretty hard to choose from them, I selected two specific artists and their works to present in my blog. One of them is Germán Fatime, and her salacious collages regarding the female body and its treatment by society and the media, while the other one is Koralevics Rita, whose creative and voluble installations just crave analysis.



Germán Fatime: No Fur

This artist usually creates works which are constructed with flawless technique, but their greatest strength is the complex layer of the messages they carry. Stylistically, the works' biggest achievement is the spontaneity and the well-hid deliberation they manage to amalgam. Contentwise, they usually explore female roles and stereotypes. Although the image they convey concerning the social conceptions about contemporary women is often sharp-fanged, the sense of humor they are constructed with always protects them from becoming too acerbic or narrow-minded.
Germán Fatime's series, No Fur, is made with diverse techniques, and reflects on the distorted body image that the media transmits about the ideal state of the female body. Her works are ironic presentations of the prescribed beauty today's people base their expectations on.


Koralevics Rita: Dobozolt terhek (Boxed Loads)

The artist's series, Boxed Loads, mainly transforms everyday articles of personal use into artworks which have a strong aesthetical emanation and significance. Her installations of crowded rooms, or rooms with conspicuous absences reflect on contemporary familial and romantic relationships. There is a sense of distortion she depicts: the realistic elements become surreal, while the surrealistic parts seem natural. Furthermore, her pieces circuit around the current concept of "home" in a world where everything is mobilized and transitory. As she herself claimed, these installations are also leads for her to find her roots and a state of stability in her life.

Anyone who wishes to have an accurate picture about the new generation of today's contemporary artists and the artistic sphere itself should go visit the exhibition which will be open till 29 May.