Attalai Gábor’s artwork guide is greater than a companion to the artist’s latest exhibition, it’s a vibrant testomony to his wealthy and conceptual creative legacy. Printed with the help of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Tradition mission and Classic Gallery, this particular quantity stands out not just for its placing design but additionally for the profound tales and themes it encapsulates. The album serves as the primary complete publication on Attalai’s artwork, offering an intimate look into his profession by way of separate research on his textile artwork, conceptual works, performative images, creative writings, and worldwide collaborations.
A Journey by way of Crimson – a symbolic thread
Crimson is central to Attalai’s work, a motif deeply woven into his creative identification. This isn’t merely a stylistic selection however a mirrored image of deeply private and historic recollections. One of the poignant tales from Attalai’s life comes from his childhood within the village of Mezőberény in southeastern Hungary.
“I keep in mind, I noticed the primary “conceptual artwork” works after I arrived at my grandmother’s place in Mezőberény for a vacation in June 1945. All of the partitions of the 2 rooms had been coated with writing. The texts had been written on giant purple paper ribbons, roughly two toes lengthy, in white Cyrillic letters, they usually had been placed on the partitions instantly after the liberation of my grandmother’s home in November 1944. All of the writings had been painted on the partitions by Soviet troopers”, Attalai remembers. “After I went to my grandmother’s place for a vacation the next summer time in 1946, I keep in mind the writings had been nonetheless on the partitions. I requested her why she had left them on the partitions. She didn’t reply. So I’ll by no means know what tied her to those works: pleasure or worry. On the time, I didn’t know what these writings meant. However now I do know the whole lot about them”.
I keep in mind, I noticed the primary “conceptual artwork” works after I arrived at my grandmother’s place in Mezőberény for a vacation in June 1945. All of the partitions of the 2 rooms had been coated with writing. The texts had been written on giant purple paper ribbons, roughly two toes lengthy, in white Cyrillic letters, they usually had been placed on the partitions instantly after the liberation of my grandmother’s home in November 1944.
For Attalai, these partitions grew to become an early type of conceptual artwork — a “whole set up” of trauma, historical past, and unresolved emotion. This reminiscence resurfaces in his artwork, notably in works the place purple dominates as a symbolic colour of ambiguity, encapsulating each pleasure and worry. As artwork historian Dávid Fehér explains within the guide’s introduction, Attalai’s use of purple and white evokes these childhood experiences whereas leaving their deeper questions unanswered, reworking them right into a common exploration of human emotion and reminiscence.
The thematic selection of utilizing the colour purple extends to the artwork guide’s design – making a visually cohesive expertise that mirrors Attalai’s artwork.
Attalai’s oeuvre is characterised by recurring conceptual themes, amongst which the colour purple holds a particular place. These works function all kinds of objects — and even physique elements — painted monochrome purple, additional emphasizing the symbolic energy of the colour. This thematic selection is prolonged into the very cloth of the artwork guide’s design. The massive-format album is visually gorgeous, with its daring purple cowl and edge portray persevering with the colour’s symbolism. The guide’s manufacturing high quality is a testomony to the considerate collaboration between the graphic designer, Ferenc Eln, and the writer, Bernadett.
The massive-format album is visually gorgeous, with its daring purple cowl and edge portray persevering with the colour’s symbolism. The guide’s manufacturing high quality is a testomony to the considerate collaboration between the graphic designer, Ferenc Eln, and the writer, Bernadett.
Ferenc Eln, who has labored with PERGRAPHICA® paper earlier than, chosen supplies that completely match the guide’s conceptual weight. The duvet is crafted from canvas laminated on Eskaboard, lending it a tactile high quality, whereas the inside options PERGRAPHICA® Basic Clean 150 g/m² paper for the core and PERGRAPHICA® Colors Charismatic Crimson 160 g/m² for the top sheets. These selections create a visually cohesive expertise that mirrors the themes of Attalai’s artwork.
The artwork guide is bilingual, and introduced in each Hungarian and English, making it accessible to a wider viewers. This dual-language method displays Attalai’s worldwide affect, as his works have been exhibited throughout the globe and have resonated with the avant-garde artwork neighborhood, to which he has contributed enormously over his lengthy profession.