Annamária Nagy

The aim of my presentation was to introduce the brief history of Dunaújváros, the first Socialist model town in Hungary and represent the unique situation of the local International Steel Sculptor Workshop and Sculpture Park with highlights on the political causes. In my research, at first I investigated the cultural policies of the Soviet Union and the Hungarian system between the 1950s and 1990. The local Ironworks and the city administration took major part in shaping the art scene of the town. They made artists to settle down in the newly established, exemplary socialist town, payed them monthly stipend and expected socialist artworks in exchange. A workshop took place on a similar basis inside the ironworks in every two years. The artists received accommodation, stipend and working material in the factory. Although it was a state-funded program, the jury of the biennale could choose such neo-avant-garde artists to participate in the residencies, who were banned by the government – here they had the chance to work freely, however they were monitored. The workshop was organized twelve times between 1974 and 2000 with the participation of fifty-two Hungarian and international artists. The sculpture collection has been exhibited at the Danube-bank since the 1970s, and nowadays it is a unique attraction throughout Europe.

My main question is how it could happen that contemporary artists managed to create and execute steel monuments which did not fit in the official national style with the help of a state-funded internship.

The aim of my presentation was to introduce the brief history of Dunaújváros, the first Socialist model town in Hungary and represent the utopian architectural idea behind its construction with the highlights on the gender issues. In my research at first I investigated the socialist utopian idea of gender equality and the state of women in Hungary after WWII.

The entire town was constructed in such a way, which intended to serve the newly settled families, mostly women to start working as soon as possible – in the name of gender equality. Every well-structured neighbourhood unit had their own playground, kindergarten, grocery store, elementary school, basic health facility, etc., hence the inhabitants didn't have to go far to do their everyday tasks. They could let the children walk and play in a safe environment without adult supervision, thus they could focus more on their excellent work. Another level of this phenomena is that in certain flats and apartments the kitchens were intentionally quite tiny, not comfortable for cooking, preferably only warm-over ready-cooked meals – in exchange there were many affordable and qualitative restaurants and "common kitchens" all over the town to help women accommodate their families easily. From the Socialist party's point of view this was a great innovation for women to get in the line for work and study – but the payment wasn't equal, and men still had more privileges over women. After the regime-change the providing institutions, such as common kitchens and groceries were closed besides most of the playgrounds. From the 2000s it causes great problems for modern women to use the tiny kitchens – many families look for a way to renovate and/or remake these flats and make them more useable.

During the process of planning the new town only one female architect was involved, although the decoration of the new public spaces were made predominantly by female artists and mostly these artworks depict women as well. In most cases women take their share more in the physical labour work to build the town.

The case of Dunaújváros gives a good example in the context of Architectural environment and violence, but in a reverse way: decades ago established and functioned a system, which served women and their families greatly, even if it was made purely for the socialist agenda. For the sake of the modern innovations (and capitalism), the original urban planning and lot of homes became somehow "violated".

I wished to introduce the brief history of the International Steel Sculptor Workshop in Dunaújváros, which was a biennale residency program from 1974 until 2000. It was a collaboration made between the artists and the local ironwork factory. Many of the completed artworks are erected at the bank of the Danube, still playing a significant role of the city’s everyday life, although the adjudication of these mostly neo-avant-garde sculptures often mixed. Being one of the greatest open space exhibition in Europe, both the circumstances under the sculptures were made and their afterlife are unique, I believe not only in Hungary, but in East- and Central-Europe as well.

In the not too distant future the pollution caused so serious damages to the nature, that it is necessary to create them under industrial circumstances. People live in this dystopian world, the production is in progress, the shifts are non-stop, just like when they poured the iron except that now the plants come on the conveyor belt.

At the beginning of the 1950s the Hungarian government nationalized and withdrew valuable agricultural areas from production in order to make Hungary to the nation of iron and steel - so thus the Danube Ironworks and Dunaújváros were built. At the exhibition with the help of a fictive plant factory we attempt to show the effect of the violent industrialization on agriculture, the life after the regime-change and the relation of the socialist industry and agriculture.

The artworks of Tamás Kaszás and the photos of Alex Martin, which were made at the Danube Ironworks during the last decade, complemented each other in a special way and led to further thinking.

The exhibition took place at the Studio of Young Artists’ Association from 16th May to 6th June, 2017.

Opening

Interiors

The summer school in Slavutych was an opportunity to analyse the process of making a (socialist) city, starting with an idea, through discussions and solutions, planning, and construction and up to developing spaces and buildings, functioning of institutions and everyday life.

The goal of an interdisciplinary summer school was to combine learning and research formats while using integrated approaches and methods of different disciplines in urban studies. The students were divided in three labs:

People and Social Relations

Urban Space and Environment

Economy

  I was a member of the second group, and my task was to investigate the culture and activism of the city. I have met a local artist group, the Krolikowski Art, and the organizers of the 86 Festival of Film and Urbanism. Both meeting led to a possible collaboration in the future.

Pubic lectures, field trips, interviews with local initiatives, political persons and citizens, and focus groups as well served as tools to learn about the city’s past and present and come up with some ideas and recommendations to have a better future. All the labs had a presentation at the end to the citizens, who have been open to take some actions based on the research and work we made.

The summer school was organized by the Heinrich Boell Foundation’s Office in Ukraine, Center for Urban History and the NGO Urban Forms Center.

United Colours of Ukraine

People’s Friendship Arch, Kiev

Top of Kiev

Remains of a fresco in Chernobyl House of Culture

Street art in Chernobyl

Amusement park in Chernobyl

City Hall of Slavutych

Tutors and students of the summer school

Public lecture given by Owen Hatherley: Who built Sikingrad? - Were the British New Towns Socialist, Capitalist or Both at Lazurniy Swimming Pool, Slavutych

Lecture by tutor Tauri Tuvikene

Lab work

Final presentation

The aim of my presentation is to introduce the brief history of Dunaújváros, the first Socialist model town in Hungary and represent the utopian architectural idea behind its construction with the highlights on the political effects. In my research at first I investigated the socialist utopian idea of the Stalinist Russia, the Soviet Union and Hungary, then focused on what made Dunaújváros the model town of the Hungarian Socialism. The very first plans had some modern aspects, then these transformed into a cleaner socialist realist style under the political pressure. I went through several documents from the 1950s to the 1970s: political statements about the expected architectural style, original plans of some buildings, memoirs of architects and contemporary press. I compared the plans with the results and got some conclusions on what caused the differences, how the plans were changing continually as the political system softened in the course of time. I chose one building to represent in detail those characteristics which had to be changed in order to be more socialist realists – it is the Dózsa Picture Theatre by György Szrogh.

The presentation was given on 28th April in Berlin at the conference Utopias and Realities: Socialist Modernism organized by: Translations of Modernism & Collegium Hungaricum Berlin.

More info and registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/utopias-and-realities-socialist-modernism-tickets-24675038705

Márk Martinkó is a young, emerging photographer from Budapest, who works as an engineer on a daily basis. The Enclosed Garden, his first solo exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art – Dunaújváros, displays photo series and video installations as well. The exhibited works focus on the relation between mankind and built environment, the nature of the technosphere.

Martinkó builds strong conceptual backgrounds for his series. Both the chosen location, the lights and the functional elements are carefully designed. He does not reflect on the momentary present, but takes well-built pictures – in the strict sense of the word. As a result of his experiments he constantly expands the borders of the photography with shuffling the applied tools. His photos always depict the impression of the real physical world, not later manipulated sets. In point of the digital technology he focuses mainly on the errors and unfolds the virtual reality within these failings.

The exhibition took place at the Institute of Contemporary Art - Dunaújváros from 5th February 2016 to 4th March 2016.

Opening – 05. 02. 2016

Interiors

Artificial Green (2012 – )

Artificial Green (2012 – )

Artificial Green (2012 – )

Digitized plants (2014)

Ritual (2012)

Planes of Reality (2014)

The aim of my residency was to get a closer look at the contemporary Austrian culture politics and lay the foundation of my future PhD studies. My research is about the art patronizing system in Eastern and Western Europe from 1960 to 1990, mostly between firms or factories and artists. I am eager to know that how these different collaborations affected today’s contemporary art and what their place is in the cultural system which we know nowadays.

During my residency in Vienna I was able to get in touch with professionals whose work is related to my topic, such as Martin Fritz, Hans Knoll, and Christian Kravagna. I began my research at the Erste Foundation Library. The head of the library, Jutta Braidt gave me tremendous help to get a basic look at my topic. With her help I have had a great list of such documents which I can use even in my daily work.

The research I have done in Vienna will be the basis of my Ph.D. work, which I would like to begin at latest in 2018.

The residency was awarded by tranzit and Erste Stiftung.

  Performance by Christian Falsnaes at the Political Populism opening night (Kunsthalle Wien)

Sculpture by Henry Moore in front of the Karlskirche

Top of Vienna

Technisches Museum

Installation at the garden of the 21er Haus

21er Haus

Installation at the Volkstheater U-Bahn station

Rätselbar (Riddlebar) by Tim Kaiser and Dorothee Halbrock  

Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg

Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg 

Leopold Museum

Ólafur Eliasson: Baroque, baroque

I had the chance turn the topic of my master thesis into an exhibition. I co-curated the 40th anniversary exhibition of the International Steel Sculpture Workshop of Dunaújváros with one of the former artists and current chair of the board, Gyula Várnai.

The International Steel Sculptor Workshop of Dunaújváros had a significant role in the cultural life of Hungary from 1974 to 2000. It was organized twelve times with the participation of fifty-two national and international artists. The sculpture park at the Danube is a unique attraction throughout Europe – this exhibition focused to this special and valuable artistic heritage.

The aim of the show was to present the history of the workshops and display the artists with exhibiting photos, contemporary documents, interviews, short films, memories, plans and statuettes as well.

The catalogue of the exhibition is in progress; the expected publishing is due in 2017.

Participants of the workshops:

Bakos Ildikó | Barry Parker | Billy Lee | Birkás István | Bohus Zoltán | Buczkó György | Budahelyi Tibor | Csáji Attila | Csíkszentmihályi Róbert | Drabik István | ef. Zámbó István | Fodor Sándor | Friedrich Ferenc | Gaál Tamás | Galántai György | Gulyás Attila | Halász Károly | Helmut Karl | Heritesz Gábor | Ingo Glass | Jin Sheng Wang | Joe Moran† | Jon Barlow Hudson | Karen Baldauf Delaney | Magyar József | Miguel Angel Velit | Móder Rezső | Palotás József | Péter Ágnes | Peter Sommerauer | Roy Kitchin† | Samu Géza† | Schéner Mihály† | Seregi József | Szanyi Péter | Szeift Béla† | Szöllőssy Enikő | Todor Todorov | Tracy Mackenna | Trombitás Tamás | Vilt Tibor† | Vladimir Kopteff† | Vladiszlav Klikov 

Events:

Discussion about the symposium with former artists and co-workers Moderator: Zsolt Keserue (artist) – 19. 03. 2016

Be a tourist on a drawing board! – Walk in the Sculpture park with artist Tamás Kaszás – 20. 03. 2016

Curatorial tour – 02. 04. 2016

“Statue-resonance and tone-painting” – Irregular concert on steel sculptures by artist Rezső Móder and musician Bálint Baráth – 02. 04. 2016

The exhibition took place at the Institute of Contemporary Art - Dunaújváros from 11th March to 8th April, 2016.

Opening – 11. 03. 2016

Discussion about the symposium with former artists and co-workers Moderator: Zsolt Keserue (artist) – 19. 03. 2016

Be a tourist on a drawing table! – Walk in the Sculpture park with artist Tamás Kaszás – 20. 02. 2016

The history of the Contemporary Sculpture Collection of the King Saint Stephen Museum, Székesfehérvár, goes back to 1967, when a sculptor workshop took place in the KÖFÉM aluminium factory. The artworks of two participants, Erzsébet Schaár and Tibor Vilt were erected in the factory’s garden after the symposium. The museum borrowed them from here in 1977 the exhibition of the Hungarian cultural weeks in Duisburg. After that event the sculptors were never placed back. Márta Kovalovszky and Péter Kovács, the museum’s late art historians fitted up a ground plot in the summer of 1977 as a sculptor park for Vilt and Schaár. While the institution has had problems with storing the contemporary large-scale sculptures for decades, it was obvious to place them here, thus they exhibited a qualitative, expansive collection.

Nowadays seventeen artworks can be seen at the park, which were made with miscellaneous techniques, in different sizes and conceptions. The sculptures are made by Erzsébet Schaár, Tibor Vilt, Enikő Szöllőssy, György Galántai, László Kodolányi, Károly Halász, Ferenc Friedrich, András Kiss Nagy, Resző Móder, Günter Prager and Ana Lupas.

The publication of the research is in progress.

Erzsébet Schaár: Girl standing at the door (1969)

Enikő Szőllőssy: Wall no. 1-2. (1977)

Károly Halász: Plastic

György Galántai: Közegszántó (1975)

Ana Lupas: Installation (1990s)

The aim of my research was to present the history of the brigade diaries. In order to understand the whole method I think it’s necessary to display also the brigade movement what functioned at the Dunaferr Danube Ironworks (Dunaújváros). Contemporary sources such as written documentation, interviews, articles and of course brigade diaries served as the basis of my investigation.

The aim of the socialist brigade movement was about three basic rules – working, learning and living in the socialist way at the same time. In course of time these principles were completed with a complex system of socialist competition. In order to officially get the Socialist Brigade title the group needed to achieve their formerly standing measure in each year.

In order to keep the brigade’s work under control they had to write diaries on regularly basis. This action had dual purposes, in one hand the members could easily follow where they were in the way to achieve their goals and on the other hand the management of the factory could keep an eye on them and give some advice if something was not acceptable.

At an early stage of the movement diaries were very simple booklets, lack of any decoration or ornament. Writing them felt more annoying than useful, said a worker, and often got lost at the bottom of someone’s locker. They didn’t pay attention to carry the notes precisely, the entries from those years are periodical.

Later on the method of writing the diary got more important, some habits were developed in parallel with the evolution of the movement. The diaries became well-designed often with handmade protecting cover. They were as different as the brigades who wrote them, but only in appearance, the structure inside followed pretty much the same method.

The presentation was given at the Cities of a New Type. Industrial Cities in People’s Democracies after 1945 on 22th May, 2015 in Dunaújváros, organized by the Pepper Art Projects.

In my Master thesis I wrote about the institutional relations between firms, factories and artists during the socialist era in Hungary. I investigated the Hungarian cultural policy, art patronizing system and symposium method by exploring the history of the International Steel Sculptor Workshop and Sculpture Park in Dunaújváros. The biennial workshop was supported by the Danube Ironworks on various levels. At the beginning it was a national, and later on became an international symposium from 1974 to 1989, and three more workshops were held in 1993, 1996 and 2000.

The pursuit of this symposium raised questions concerning the political pressure as well as the conflict between artistic freedom and national expectations. My main research question was that how could artists create and execute non-socialist-realist steel monuments during the strict socialist regime in the first, exemplary Hungarian socialist town, Dunaújváros, by the help of a state company. Firstly I collected contemporary sources, journals, articles, official documents and also theoretical writings about the Hungarian culture policy and the symposium system. I introduced the brief history of Dunaújváros, the first socialist city in Hungary, and investigated the origins of this particular workshop. Then I displayed each workshops, participating artists and their executed work of arts, and highlighted their working process in and outside of the factory as well. I interviewed artists from different generations and compared their experiences with the official sources. At the end I was able to make a chart included all workshops: I put into the participants’ name, the title of their exhibited work and in case an artist took part in other symposium, I also added that information. Part of my thesis and the above mentioned chart will be the basis of the workshop’s renewed catalogue published in autumn, 2017.

Most of the completed sculptures are exhibited at the Danube bank in Dunaújváros since the 1970s and nowadays they are part of the town’s everyday life.

Enikő Szöllőssy: Intact and Damaged Tubes (1975)

György Galántai: 1/2 X = V (Felix and Victoria) (1979)

Péter Szanyi: Memento (1996)

Billy Lee: In memoriam Mathias Rex (1996)

Ingo Glass: Alpha + Omega (1987)

Enikő Szöllőssy: Meeting Point (1975)

Ferenc Friedrich: Relation 2000 (1996)

Gábor Heritesz: Steel Work (1987)

The aim of my research was to present how politics had affected on architecture during the Socialist Era in Hungary.  I presented the concept of the German and Russian imperial architecture, the socialist realism and the modern architecture, also their history within the Hungarian architecture method after the Second World War. I chose my home town, Dunaújváros as a national example, because it has been a Socialist model city since the very beginning.

The Hungarian Working People’s Party had decided to build a town next to the Danube in 1949, and the construction began in 1950. The officially approved style was the so-called socialist realism, although for a short period, at the beginning of the 1950s, architects had been able to use the modern concept. Until that it was not possible anymore to speak about socialist realism’s architecture without the ideological content.

There are a few great examples of this early modern style in Dunaújváros, but I was more interested in those buildings, which have such features which were changed because of political reasons. I focused my research on the Dózsa Filmtheater for several reasons. The building had begun in 1951 by the plans of György Szrogh. It clearly has a modern characteristic, but the plans must have been changed, because it did not fit in the town’s concept. I investigated the reasons behind and gave detailed information about the building’s history, in- and outside, and present status.