IT'S NOT JUST MEDICINE - AN INTERVIEW WITH RUNE K DREWSEN

Last week I had the chance to meet up with the Danish graphic designer Rune K Drewsen during his brief visit to Budapest.

POP CITY TRASH

Pop City Trash, an exhibition showcasing the photographic work of Prince Hubertus von Hohenlohe has just opened in the Hungarian National Museum in Budapest. Featuring selected pieces from his Urban Jungles, Elegantly Wasted and Scenes In The Key Of Life collections, the show is a must see for lovers of 21st century Pop Art...

GYULA DERKOVITS ART SCHOLARSHIP

Endre Kis 

As mentioned in yesterday's post, this is the final week of the Gyula Derkovits Art Scholarship Review exhibition at the Ernst Múzeum.  If you haven't had the chance to go yet then One A Day highly recommends you do before it closes on the 29th of May.

Mariann Fa

For those of you who are unaware of the Gyula Derkovits Art Scholarship, it was founded by the Hungarian state in 1955. The initiative was open to artists under the age of 35 and those who succeeded in winning a scholarship were provided with a grant to support their creative practise whether they be a painter, sculptor, graphic or media artist. Back then it was only around 3000 Hungarian Forint over a period of three years  (which by today's standards is roughly £3.23 per year)  but now the scholars receive 80,000 HUF over a period of 11 months.

Gábor Fülöp

Each year there are roughly 200 applicants for the 10 open positions in the first year of the scholariship. The reason the scholarship is so popular is not only down to the program's prestige but because it is the only form of stable support from the government.

For full details head over to the Ernst Múzeum website.

GYULA DERKOVITS ART SCHOLARSHIP: GRAPHIC DESIGN AND ILLUSTRATION

István Csákány
The 2010 Grantees of the Gyula Derkovits Art Scholarship Review exhibition is in its final week at the Ernst Múzeum. Featuring 30 artists in total, the show features a vast array of creative disciplines and styles. In this installment One A Day will focus on the graphic design and illustrative work which was exhibited. István Csákány's piece 'Suspended' immediately catches your eye as you enter the exhibition. The woodcut piece is based on an old archive image of workers removing the 'Snake Killer' sculpture by Hungarian artist Pál Pátczay. The original image dates back to post World War II events when the statue, which was supposed to be erected in honour of Raul Wallenberg, a diplomat who helped to rescue many Jews from the Holocaust, was removed and hidden by the Communist government.

Anikó Loránt
Anikó Loránt's illustrations are wonderfully carefree and full of colour. Using both paper and wood as a canvas, the images are perfectly suited for children's story books. Anikó displays 8 pieces in total, the titles of which form a poem: 'There is no model for rationality, all the gods are laughing out loud,  how could they fit in when the sun does not need them to dance on a narrow fence.' 

Ádám Albert
'Find the key!' and 'RAF manual' by Ádám Albert were firm favourites at the exhibition. The Veszprém born graphic designer has earned scholarships in Rome, Munich and has won the ESSL art award - the Gyula Derkovits Scholariship is another impressive accolade to add to the list!

Beatrix Szörényi
There was also some typographic work in the form of Beatrix Szörényi's  Prophecy font chart. The font itself has been aggressively scribbled over and defaced making some of the letters almost illegible.

Attack of the Giant Holyshit!

After giving up on the Urban Treasure Hunt last weekend One A Day stumbled across this brilliant solo exhibition by Zsolt Domsodi which is currently on show at the Gruzzwe gallery. The ever so subtly titled 'Attack Of The Giant Holyshit!' sees Zsolt mix together his love for illustration and the undead...

Zsolt draws inspiration from old B-movie posters to create his own twisted, grotesque artworks full of zombies, blood, guts, aliens and cannibalistic clowns. In another series of images, Zsolt depicts several adorable feathered and furry friends being tortured or dismembered - so the animal lovers amongst you should probably steer clear of this exhibition!

Zsolt graduated in 2010 from the KREA Contemporary Arts Institute with a degree in graphic design and has since been turning his talents towards video game design as well as exhibiting his works in and around Hungary.

To learn more about Zsolt and to see more of his work, head over to his official site

COLØURLESS

 Just got back from the opening of COLØURLESS at Ötkert, Budapest. The exhibition showcases a selection of Hungary's most talented up-and-coming creatives from the fields of graphics, photography and video art. Curator Noémi Beszédes has selected 11 artists in total including Áron Filkey,  Donát Áron Ertsey and Benedek Kristóf Kiss all of whom share one common thread throughout their work - a lack of colour!

The minimal colour palette gives the exhibition both a classic yet thoroughly contemporary aesthetic. Highlights included some deconstructed photographs of Hungarian architectural buildings and an illustrated portrait of a family of mexican luchadores.

For full details head over to the facebook event page

Ötkert

1054 Budapest Zrínyi utca 4.

Budapest, Hungary

Exhibition runs until 7th June

Orsi Szemethy: Méla Madonna

One A Day popped along to the opening of the new Orsi Szemethy show which has just opened at the Spiritusz Galéria, Budapest. The show, titled 'Méla Madonna' sees Orsi walking the fine line between painter and graphic artist as she deals with the concept of mythological and biblical female characters.

Orsi takes classical motifs and compositions before recreating them in her own unique style. There is a naive charm to the images she creates, which appear more illustrative than painterly. The characters which Orsi creates are somewhat Disney-like with wide innocent eyes and pink, rosy cheeks. In fact, some of the characters bear an almost uncanny resemblance to the Disney adaptations of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty that you have to do a double take.



Orsi Szemethy was born in Budapest and studied at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts before embarking on studies in  Guatemala and Paris. She is now one of the Spiritusz Galéria's resident artists and is also part of the creative collective Metamor.


Spiritusz Galéria

Budapest 1012
Várfok u. 14.
http://spiritusz-galeria.hu/

Urban Treasure Hunt

Summer seems to have finally arrived and what better way to spend the weekend than taking part in Budapest's Urban Treasure Hunt?

The Urban Treasure Hunt was first masterminded by Danish creatives Rune K Drewsen and Mimi Larsson of Rumkammerat in Copenhagen. Following the success of the Urban Treasure Hunt in their native city, the two teamed up with Hungarian artists Dénes Fekete, Marci Bojti, Análog and Dóra Jánosi to bring the challenge to Budapest.

The aim is to find the ten clues which come in the shape of temporary artworks and installations dotted around the city, until finally you can solve the combination to the treasure chest in the final, secret location.

Although this might sound like it is designed for kids, the Urban Treasure Hunt is a great way to experience the city in a totally new way. You start to look at your surroundings in a different light and begin to notice things you had never seen before.

I only managed to make it to the third clue before becoming well and truly confused. I ended up on a pointless quest to the top of one of the hills in the XII district of Budapest (in my mind it made perfect sense) to try and find the fourth clue but to no avail.

So if - unlike me - you have a) a map and b) the cognitive skills - then head off to the Gödör Klub for your first clue!

The Urban Treasure Hunt runs until the 29th of May 2011.
Website (in English and Hungarian): http://www.rumkammerat.dk/Rumkammerat/Basic-info

Day 2 Budapest Essential Looks Highlights

Day 2 of Budapest Essential Looks offered even more beautiful collections from Hungary's best fashion designers. There were too many to choose from so we've whittled it down to a few of our favourites:

András Baranyai: Hero Recycle

One A Day had a little Q&A session with András Baranyai back in January after spotting his incredible serigraph prints at the Printa Gallery. Since then, the Debrecen born artist has been busy getting lost in his own crazy little world to create a new series of work for his latest solo exhibition.

The exhibition, titled Hero Recycle, features a new series of work including stencil-graphics and acrylic on board alongside some of his more familiar pieces - all of which showcase András' trademark
retro-futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic.

The Roham Galéria, which hosts the exhibition, has just celebrated it's one year anniversary and it only seemed fitting that András (who has collaborated with Roham for their illustration/visual arts magazine on numerous occasions) would be involved. 

Hero Recycle
Roham Galéria

Vas utca 16. 8 .ker.

Budapest, Hungary

http://roham.hu/

Runs until the 5th of June.

Day 1 Budapest Essential Looks Highlights

 Kate Middleton's wedding dress wasn't the only outfit worth commenting on on Friday the 29th of April as I attended Budapest's first, seasonal Essential Looks fashion event.  

Drawing on walls: Neopaint

If you feel like taking a stroll along Kiraly utca in the 7th district of Budapest then make sure to check out the latest work by Neopaint.  The beautiful landscape piece aims to draw the viewer's attention to the neglected historical buildings in the city centre which are in dire need of renovation. The image acts as an escape for the local residents of the area (which includes the old Jewish ghetto), bringing joy to a somewhat depressing setting.

You can find out more about Neopaint over on their official website www.neopaint.hu

Budapest Essential Looks: Kill Routine

                  Abodi Dóra and Boruzs Andrea                             Artista and Gergely László

         

                Es Tu un Ange and Kovács Krisztián                 Je Suis Belle and Blazsovszky László

                   Léber Barbara and Körző Krisztina                Makány Márta and Rózsa Erzsike

                   Mojzes Dóra and Muzsik Edina                         Nanushka and Herczeg  Csaba

                           Nubu and Mencsik Zsolt                       USE UNUSED and Hortobágyi Kászon

photography © Calum Ross 2011

Budapest Essential Looks: Max Mara

photography © Calum Ross 2011

Budapest Essential Looks: Márta Makány

photography © Calum Ross 2011

Under the Damp Earth - Stuart Kolakovic

Independent publishers Nobrow are unveiling their newly extended gallery space this week and have an exciting inaugural exhibition prepared! The premier show, titled Under The Damp Earth will feature the work of one Nobrow's most celebrated illustrators: Stuart Kolakovic.

Stuart's work is instantly recognisable and highly successful, with past clients including Ted Baker, Marks and Spencer and various international publications. However, Under The Damp Earth sees Stuart take a departure from his usual commercial style to focus on creating a series of much darker imagery. 

Currently based in the Midlands, the Kingston University graduate is an illustrator in the most traditional sense, relying heavily on hand rendered techniques to produce his beautifully realised images. His rich illustrations have a distinctive eastern european folk art aesthetic which he draws from his own Serbian family roots.

Stuart's exploration of his Eastern European heritage lead to him being awarded the D&AD New Blood Award for his graphic novel Milorad. The 80 page book revolves around Stuart's relationship with his grandfather and the influence he had on his life.

The pieces which are going on show for Under The Damp Earth have been kept tightly under wraps so make sure to pop along for the grand unveiling!

Under The Damp Earth
Open 5th May - 23rd June
62 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3QR, London, United Kingdom
http://stuartkolakovic.co.uk/