Párhuzamos Kronológiák / Parallel Chronologies

My only knowledge of the Hungarian art scene of the 1960s and 70s is derived from hearsay, due to my age, and due to the scarcity of research of the period, from relatively little published sources. My views may have been significantly influenced by the fact that I studied at the Intermedia Department of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, as well as the fact that for a similar period of time, I was employed by the Artpool Research Centre. While both proved to be relatively good sources of information, comparatively with how much a young artist can know in general about the period in question, nevertheless, it may be presumed that the viewpoints of the above mentioned institutions also function as filters.
Without trying to achieve academic validity, three well-known "projects" seem to me to be most definitive. Two of these did not take place in the capital, and it would be important to emphasise the special role of decentralisation in connection with them. Namely, that the control of the centralised cultural policy – it would seem – was less effectual in other cities. A good example of this would be the steel sculpture symposion that was launched in the early 1970s at the Dunaújváros Ironworks, where with state support – represented at the ironworks – creative efforts in geometric sculpture attained the possibility for development, which otherwise were judged according to cultural policy as “imperialist formalism”.
The three above mentioned projects are: - "The 20th century Hungarian art” series organised by Márta Kovalovszky and Péter Kovács from 1965 at the István Király Museum and exhibited at the Csók István Gallery in Székesfehérvár.
- The Chapel exhibitions in Balatonboglár.
- The activities and exhibitions of the INDIGO group. I consider the first important because here, within the framework of the official institutional system, important, but lesser known, or suppressed artists and artworks were made visible to a wider audience. One might even say that they could rehabilitate individual artists for the professional circles. I also consider it important that this was a series which also set the presented oeuvres in parallel. And I would highlight three of these from the period in question: 1964: Lajos Vajda; 1967: Lajos Gulácsy; 1968: Lajos Kassák. And I would only add that this series, also in the 1980s and even in the 90s, continued to offer significant exhibitions. For example, Miklós Erdély’s first retrospective exhibition was also a part of this series, and its catalogue is still among the few publications through which a youth of today can become acquainted with Erdély’s works.

We can easily consider the Chapel exhibitions at Balatonboglár as one of the answers given outside of the institutions (or to use a current expression: with institution-critisism) to the official cultural policy of the era. This is a relatively more thoroughly researched subject – if I think of the thick volume that describes it. I would emphasise now just the year 1972, and from that, the event entitled "DIRECT WEEK" of 6-9 July, which transcended the traditional exhibition form (though this was generally true of the Chapel shows at Balatonboglár) in a pioneering way.

INDIGO’s activity was similarly self-evident and obvious. Among other qualities, I believe that the nature of their functioning, the collective spirit, and the exhibitions of ephemeral quality were important, and in their activity an archetype can be seen to much of today’s "alternative" art. As INDIGO commenced towards the end of the period referred to in the call, thus I can suggest two early exhibitions for the list: 1978: Charcoal and Charcoal Drawing, MOM (Hungarian Optical Works), Cultural House, Budapest; 1979: Sand and Forms of Motion, MOM Cultural House, Budapest.
Well, if I take the list of 10 you requested seriously, then there remain four places. And for these four places I would propose four significant flat-exhibitions, about which – due to the low level of research on the era, its lack of published material, or other reasons – neither I, nor others interested but of similar age, knew, or could gain information of.