The Symbols of Socialist Art

Jan PFEIFFER: Předtím, než jsem tam byl / Before I Was There, 2008
animation film, 4’40’’

February 2, 2017 - March 19, 2017

The “sickle and hammer”, or the “red star” are still well-known Communist symbols, but how can we read other images, like “Sun”, or “book” in the context of Communist imagery? In 1974, art historian Nóra Aradi, the omnipotent guardian of Socialist Realism in Hungary, published a book entitled The Symbols of Socialist Art that, a quarter century after the fall of Communism, may also serve as a visual aid, a tool in translating the past to newer generations who were born after 1989. With the help of contemporary artists from the Central and Eastern European region, the exhibition The Symbols of Socialist Art explores and critically re-evaluates this visual dictionary, while also investigating the role of its author in the making of the art history of the 2nd half of the 20th century in Hungary. Meghívott művészek / Invited artists: Erik JANEČEK / APART Collective (SK), Adéla BABANOVÁ (CZ), Anna BAUMGART (PL), FOKUS GRUPA (CR), GALÁNTAI György (HU), GRÓF Ferenc (HU); LITTLE WARSAW (HU), Jan PFEIFFER (CZ), RANDOMROUTINES (HU), Katarina ŠEVIĆ (HU), SOCIÉTÉ RÉALISTE (HU/FR), SZALAY Péter (HU)

Curated by SZÉKELY Katalin
Curator of the section Nóra Aradi: MÉLYI József
Curator and research assistant GÁL Csaba