"10th Anniversary of the European Folklore Institute"
Jubilee Exhibition
Village Museum, Bakonybél
April 29 - June 19, 2005
Exhibition organised by
Emese Joó and Zsuzsa Fazekas
Images
Sponsors:
Exhibiting Artists:
Attila Balaskó and Emma Oroszi felt items of clothing and toys
Márta Tari honey dough
Judit Stefkovits, Pintérné compositions out of pressed plants
Emil Böröcz carved sticks
Noémi Ambrus, szeredi textile pictures
István Velok typewriter graphics
Emese Joó:
Art without boundaries
During the spring of 2001, the European Folklore Institute joined the international programme, Contemporary Folk Art: Equal Rights to Creativity' organised by the Finnish Contemporary Art Museum ITE. The aim of the programme was to study tendencies in art which are usually considered marginal. Within this framework in May 2004 the European Folklore Institute organised an exhibition entitled (Un)common creativity in the Zichy palace of Óbuda, where objects were displayed by 70 artists. The present exhibition offers a selection of this material.
The aim of the exhibition is to direct attention onto that sphere of contemporary folk art which exists at the beginning of the 21st century in our everyday culture. We find it functioning in any stratum of society without any institutional support, any background in training, without the urge to win official recognition and without following or even being aware of the peasant tradition. This type of object-making offers a form of artistic self-expression which is unregulated, instinctive, autonomous and playful, which exists in and for itself and recognises no boundaries or generic rules. It is not acquainted with or affected by official art. It does not copy: it creates in a way which is pure and original. It radiates strength and happiness. It permeates the life of the creative personality, transforms and re-shapes their objective and natural surroundings.
The central feature shared by all our creators is a perfect mastery of their craft and of their material, a high standard of technical skills. In their work they aim for perfection and beauty, and never stop at the level of simple bricolage. They are proud of their manual dexterity and of their mastery over their chosen metier, whether it be the most noble wood, natural wool, ordinary walnut shells or even wooden clothes pegs. Each of the artists talks fondly about their own material - each a passionate lover of the material they discovered and decided to cultivate.
