Sensual nostalgia

A STYLISH TICKET DISPENSER FROM THE 1980S, A CHIC STREAMLINE SILVER TEA INFUSER FROM THE LATE 90S AND A SEMI-MODERN WEDDING DRESS MADE OUT OF ZIPPERS, all of them outline the exhibition Scandinavian Design Beyond the Myth; which features the classy but diverse designculture of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. Colored by citations of Italian philosopher Italo Calvino, the exhibition in the Museum of Applied Arts presents Scandinavian style in the global context of the ‘new Europe.’ The label “Scandinavian design” originates from a British exhibition of the same title in the beginning of the 1950s, and today the term has become synonymous with light, modest and functional products. Opened in Berlin, 2003, the traveling display will visit 11 countries before finally stopping in New York in 2006. Among the objects displayed are various types of coffee tables, extravagant chairs and beanie-bag looking lamps,jelly-like ceramic objects, welding helmets with “breath protection” and slim spring water bottles. Numerous well-known Scandinavian design companies represented include Lego, Tetra Pak, Fiskars and Nokia with products still circulating through our daily lives. The roughly 200 objects exhibited give a kind of overview of Nordic fashion throughout the past three decades with an amusing section by young designers that mocks the typical stereotypes associated with sophisticated and serious Scandinavian design—just check out the fancy dress made out of neckties and scarves.

Information

Scandinavian Design beyond the myth
DATE: Until Mar. 6
VENUE: Museum of Applied Arts
ADDRESS: Üllői út 33-37
CITY, COUNTRY: Budapest, Hungary
TELEPHONE: [36]1.456.5100
www.scandesign.org

Defying gravity

THE GEORGIAN NATIONAL DANCE ENSEMBLE WILL LEAP ONTO THE CONGRESS CENTER’S STAGE IN BUDAPEST. The art of dance has a long history in Georgia, enjoying a revival during the Soviet era. This ensemble began as the Georgian State Dance Company, founded by on-stage (and off-stage) partners Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili. The techniques and beats the troupe use come from a strong tradition in the region involving high-spirited acrobatics. The ensemble has been a major influence on Georgia’s dance scene, with steps being passed down from the founders to new generations. The Sukhisvili company has also spread their methods to other troupes while building a reputation on the international scene. The company has appeared at Albert Hall, the Metropolitan Opera and Italy’s La Scala—marking the first performance of a folklore group at that venue.

Information

DATES: Feb. 21-22
VENUE: Budapest
Congress Center
ADDRESS: Jagelló ut. 1-3
CITY, COUNTRY:
Budapest, Hungary
TELEPHONE: [36] 1.372.5400
www.bcc.hu

Calming the pace of life

FRENCH NOVELIST ANTOINE DE SAINTEXUPÉRY ONCE SAID, ”YOU SEE CLEARLY ONLY THROUGH YOUR HEART. The essential is invisible to your eyes.” Italian opera tenor Andrea Bocelli (who was blinded at 12-years-old) lives by this quotation, moving with calm vision in a fast-paced world. Bocelli’s world has definitely moved at a rapid pace. After a brief stint as a lawyer in the 1980s, Bocelli’s musical talent could not be ignored, propelling him into the spotlight nationally and internationally. Since 1997 he has released nine classical albums, including renditions of masterpieces by Verdi and Tosca, won numerous awards and worked alongside several opera greats including Luciano Pavarotti. One of the most interesting elements of Bocelli’s career has been his ability to cross the line from classical into contemporary pop music. The award-winning singer has partnered up with Celine Dion and U2’s lead singer Bono. Bocelli comes to Hungary after releasing his sixth pop album ”Andrea” late last year.

Information

Andrea Bocelli
DATE: Feb. 26
VENUE: Budapest Sportarena
ADDRESS : Stefánia út 2
CITY, COUNTRY: Budapest, Hungary
INFORMATION: [36] 1.422.2682
www.ticketpro.hu, www.andreabocelli.org

To the present and back

FOR A FEW MONTHS THE YOUNG ARTISTS CLUB – WHICH FOR FOUR DECADES WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS SHEILDING ARTISTS SHUNNED BY THE FORMER REGIME – regain their original space. Gábor Kovács, a businessman, took over the space on Andrássy Boulevard to found the Kogart Gallery. From his own fortune, he set up shop in the very same villa that used to be the home of the Young Artists Club. Kogart has been open and hosting exhibitions and concerts for visitors since April 2004 in the newly renovated villa.

There is a strange irony entering the now elegant, clean and spiffy café of the Kogart gallery, and finding exhibition halls with newly renovated antique furniture, while adorning the walls are old relics of the alternative, then poor, Young Artists Club.

It is no small challenge to present the story of the Young Artists Club in the framework of one exhibition. Walking around the exhibition halls and seeing what they have produced, the task seems all the more impossible. Kogart, in the end, decided to uniquely present the events and works of the 1980s-period of the club. This period, just prior to the systemic changes of 1989, was the period when the dictatorship was soft enough in Hungary for new cultural initiatives, and open enough to tolerate a unique liberal intellectual community. Until then, the cultural life of the alternative communities never enjoyed that kind of dynamism. Also unique to the Young Artists Club is the fact it survived the systemic changes, and was able to represent itself in a similar role all the way up to 1998. To truly understand this period, seeing the exhibitions is a good background to know and comprehend the goings-on in this space over its four decade existence. Today, visitors can find video and films of the concerts and performances of the club and they can browse photo albums entitled the ”Faces of Club of Young Artists.” You can also buy a photo collection of one of the regular customers of the club, Fe Lugossy, and see many modern fine art objects by those artists who took part of the club’s life. The atmosphere of the club cant match the original run-down but progressive energy of those years. But the newly renovated and elegant space is still worth a visit.

Information

FMK: Those 1980s
DATES: Until Mar. 15
VENUE: Kogart Gallery
ADDRESS: Andrássy út 112
CITY, COUNTRY: Budapest, Hungary
TELEPHONE: [36] 1.354.3837
www.kogart.hu

Hungarian films in full speed

FOLLOWING THE RECENT PASSING OF HUNGARY’S PROGRESSIVE FILM-LAW, WE HAVE NOTICED A MUSHROOMING OF LOCAL FLMS. DT SPENDS A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES.

Diana Groó’s first feature length film “Csoda Krakkóban” (Miracle in Krakow) reveals a mystic world centered on Jewish traditions and a magical book called Ezüstkorona. The film explores family legends and the love affair of Piotr (Maciej Adamczyk), a quirky antique-book dealer and thief, and Eszter (Eszter Bíró) a young Hungarian tombstone restorer. Unfortunately, stunted acting, confusing language, and a colorless plot just kill this film – and from the very beginning! To be fair, the film did feature some very beautiful cinematography.

Moving along the miracle line is “Csudafilm,” Oscar-award winner Elemér Ragály’s first directorial debut. It presents a homeless man (András Kern) whose dreams come true as two lawyers inform him that he is to inherit a fortune. As the film advocates, don’t expect, but believe in miracles.

Actor-director Róbert Koltai is an veteran in Hungarian moviemaking. His sixth feature length film entitled “Világszám!” presents the twin clown duo Dodó (Sándor Gáspár) and Naftalin (Róbert Koltai) at the time of the socialist circus, fighting with the pressures of togetherness, love and the 1956 Hungarian revolution. The first five minutes are promising, with a quick retrospective of the family’s circus background.As it leads into a sentimental family tragedy, there is no avoiding the erratic plot, the perplexingly dubbed theater director (played by Czech director Jiri Menzel) and weak episodic romance with the charming (but unbelievable) Orsolya Tóth. Choosing to be single is popular today, but being single equals a pathetic and miserable life according to director Péter Bergendy’s film adaptation of the bestselling Hungarian novel “Állítsátok meg Terézanyut!” by Zsuzsa Rácz. The Hungarian Bridget Jones (Gabi Hámori), however, is much more down-to-earth and believable, setting out to find Mr. Right but choosing Mr. Wrong again and again. She eventually realizes love is just around the corner. Hámori’s charming and spicy personality, with a touch of Hungarian zest, saves the film from utter commercialism.

The legendary eighth district of Budapest is home to the clashing redneck and gypsy strata of both young and old as they struggle to find love, money and greatness in Áron Gauder’s “Nyócker,” an animated comedy. The blockbuster referred to as the Hungarian “South Park” is an adventure tale – ingeniously combining traditional paper-cut and 3Danimation – about a group of teenagers who devise a way to become rich, going back in time to kill mammoths with the goal of producing oil in the present day eighth district. Marvelously constructed characters consisting of the faces and voices of Gyôzô Szabó, Sándor Badár, Csaba Pindroch and János Horváth, and a fun hip-hop soundtrack compensate for the vast amount of vulgarity and the slightly over-played cheesy gags. From animation to reality, “A miskolci boniésklájd” shows a debated interpretation of the 1995 ill-fated Hungarian Bonnie and Clyde – Tünde Novák and László Fekete (played respectively by Ildikó Ráczkevy and Gábor Karalyos). Director Krisztina Deák’ blends her personal representation with the true story (based on Tünde Novák’s own memories) showing us two naive, gawky teenagers in love as they struggle to realize their dreams. Truth or fantasy, viewers concentrate more on the romantic side of the tale, rooting for the couple’s happiness – and then viewing the cruel reality.

Another curiosity among the wide array of films on show is the new work of notable director András Jeles, whose “József és testvérei” won a special director’s award in the 2004 Hungarian Film Festival. The film puts to screen a tale from the ‘Parasztbiblia’ (Peasantbible) – a collection of biblical tales from folk traditions – in a new interpretation, one with simply shadows and narration.

Annette Bening (winner of the Golden Globe’s Best Actess Award in 2005) delivers an audacious and compelling performance in “Csodálatos Júlia” (Being Julia). Bening’s character searches for her true identity, struggling with a midlife crises. Presenting the intrigue behind the London theater scene of the early 1930s, director István Szabó gracefully develops the true nature of Julia, while cinematographer Lajos Koltai lights up the screen so realistically audiences are likely to applaud as the performance ends. Miracles and magic, love and suffering, comedy and spiritual tales … this colorful bouquet of films holds something entertaining for everyone.