Gyuri Hollósy |Exhibitions | Current News | Reviews and Interviews
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Current Exhibitions
Gyuri Hollo'sy 40 Year Retrospect - YouTube - current exhibit Art You Can Touch
Opening Reception at Grounds For
Sculpture Opening Reception at Museum of the
American Hungarian Foundation
Part of the Isaac Witkin documentary being produced by Rich
Butterfoss of BG&V Productions. Gyuri
Hollosy- Kathie B
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Currently
I’m creating a number of cast iron and cast bronze sculptures which
focus on portraits supported by symbolic elongated structures. |
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The work is inspired by an ancient Hungarian symbol called “kopjafa” - a wooden carved totem like head-marker used on graves. This form was brought into Hungary by founding nomadic tribes from Asia one thousand years ago, and is still being used by rural simple folk in areas of Hungary. For me, these cemeteries are more reflective as sculpture installations, then an actual burial site. The one the earlier works in this series is “Kopjafa”. In it I’m using church architectural designs, like flute vaulting with leaf pattern, and applying it to a specific clerical portrait, in this case that of Cardinal Mindszenty.
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The focus of these symbolic structures is the
portraits.
These portraits can be of a specific individual, a feeling or a
philosophical concept. One of the earlier works in this series is “Kopjafa”. In
using church architectural designs, like flute vaulting I’m able to
convey a solemn tone to this portrait of Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary.
The portrait of “Lament” expresses a feeling through a
non-traditional interpretation of a simple head.
“Samsara/Nirvana” expresses the concept of two states of mental
existences connected at the neck and upheld by an extended hand as we walk
through life’s experiences; thus the foot prints in the circle of the
base. In these specific
portraits “I Have A Dream”, I express the essence of Dr. Martin Luther
King’s quest and fate, whereas in “The Lost Hero” I depict Raoul
Wallenberg with different emotions in his struggle to rescue many
Hungarian Jewish lives in the face of oppression and tyranny.
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Other Current Events
The American Hungarian Federation continues call for support of a 1956 Statue for the Nation's Capital... AHF's 1956 Commemoration Committee is seeking to erect a statue in Washington, D.C. devoted to the heroes of the Hungarian Revolution. The AHF plan calls for an actual-size statue to be placed prominently in Washington while they raise funds for its bronze replacement. The sculpture will be fabricated of resined/sawdust and fiberglass and can exist in an open environment for a long period of time. At the recent Capitol Reception honoring 1848, Congressman Tom Lantos mentioned his intent to place a 1956 memorial in Washington.
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Proposal
The intention of this design is to depict the spirit of the Hungarian freedom fight in October of 1956. In this memorial I want visitors to observe and contemplate on the event, as well as Hungary’s strength, struggle, belief in the future and determination to preserve a nation and the hardships she faced against an oppressive rule. My aim is to accomplish this by using symbolic images to tell this story which consists of four distinct elements; the man, the angel, the flag and the cobble stones.
The man:
The Freedom Fighter is depicted as a strong male figure, a powerful fighter who at present appears worn to shreds and on the verge of collapse due to his struggles for freedom. In his continued fight he braces his right leg in a steadfast position. Disappointed in his efforts he turns his head slightly down as if he had been betrayed. As he leans backwards with great difficulty, he holds up the symbol of his cause for freedom and change, the hollow Hungarian flag of the revolution. The symbolic hole is where the communist crest existed and has become specifically identified with the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The fighter with the other hand clasps the bottom edge of the flag to express his commitment and allegiance in his belief in God, to his country and to freedom.
The angel:
The angel represents the nation’s belief in God and the hope for the future. The angel, as an aberration, is visible only through the suggested cloth movements, and the fighter cannot see but only feel her support. The face of the angel is a young adolescent student, a Joan D’Arc type face. The vision swooping down clutches the man’s back and rescues him from falling while the right hand seizes the sinking flag, supports it high and straight, and keeping it from touching to the ground. The angel looks at the man with compassion for his struggles and seeks to install in this patriot revived energy and encouragement for him to continue his quest.
The flag:
I wanted the overall gesture of the flag to feel free and proud, hovering loosely without restraint in and around the angel’s head and form. The battered flag with ripped edges and slashes, rendered to reflect cuts into flesh, depict the tragic and wrenching daily events which afflicted the Hungarian nation and its people. The flag’s pole, thicker than normal and coarsely textured, is nailed with 16 nails which symbolically reminds us of the 16 point manifestos presented by the students during the October 23rd demonstrations that lead to the uprising.
The cobble stones:
For the foundation under the figures I used the image of stacked stones to symbolize the barricades made of cobble stones that were used in the streets of Budapest to resist the power machines of oppression. These stones are marked with fossilized etchings of barbed wires to further emphasize the hardships and imprisonment that the Hungarian people had to face in their quest for freedom.