Gödöllő Applied Arts House organized an exhibition with a market and auction to raise funds for the renovation of their building. The curators are exhibiting the work of 56 contemporary artists, craftspeople and designers in the newly renovated Captain’s residence opposite Royal Palace of Gödöllő. From copper etchings by István Orosz to textiles by Apol Temesi and contemporary jewelry by the H6 design group, the exhibition features works by artists who have had some form of contact with the GIM-House over the past twenty-four years.
The more than 150 works of art on the two floors of the Captain’s residence, in eleven rooms, are a look back at the history of the Gödöllő Applied Arts House and a look into the future. According to Ferenczy Noémi Prize-winning textile artist Erzsébet Katona Szabó and textile designer Zsófia Hidasi, curators of the exhibition, the title Reflections is a mirror of this state: the need to connect the past, the present and the future is what prompted the exhibition, not least to raise funds for the renovation of the GIM-House building, which has been in progress for years.
The GIM-House building was originally built in the mid-1900s as a bull quarry, in contrast with the building traditions of the district, using steel construction, and later operated as a button factory, a yarn-binding workshop and a warehouse for various light industrial products. As a warehouse is not necessarily suitable for certain educational activities, the institution has had to make many compromises since its inception. GUBAHÁMORI has redesigned the building to meet the needs of the present day, but construction has not yet begun due to a lack of funds.
The GIM-House (Gödöllő Applied Arts House) was founded in 1998 as an association of professional, nationally and internationally renowned craftsmen from Gödöllő and its surroundings. The aim of the workshop is to continue the spirit and artistic traditions of the Gödöllő Artists’ Colony, which was founded at the turn of the century and is renowned throughout Europe, and to promote them in the fields of contemporary art, culture, education and international relations. The GIM-House hosts contemporary art exhibitions and artists’ studios.
For the exhibition, the curators have invited 3 works from artists and designers who have exhibited at the GIM-House over the past twenty-four years, so the artists are contributing their work to the renovation of the building. All the works on display are available for purchase, and at least half of the proceeds from each sale will be donated to the renovation fund. One work from each artist and designer will be put up for a pre-registration auction, which will take place on 4 June in the exhibition space.
“GIM-House was founded by textile artist Erzsébet Katona Szabó, she directed it for twenty years, I’ve been an artistic director for four years. So there’s been a generational change, a different generation has been introduced in the GIM-House recently. This exhibition is about the meeting of these two generations, a kind of visual imprint of the two eras,” says Zsófia.
The exhibition features works of Munkácsy Ferenczy Noémi Prize-winning artists such as István Orosz, Márton Barabás or Flóra Remsey, and those of the younger generation, like Péter Mátyási, Gabriella Veszprémi and Anna Börcsök. The diversity of genres does not form a mess in the space, with the same media and similar visual languages mostly clustered in one room. For example, more geometric and detailed paintings, more lyrical graphic works with organic motifs, paintings, installations, autonomous textile works, and applied art and design objects form spatially distinct groups.
“We are giving the values of Gödöllő Artists’ Colony a new, contemporary interpretation in the GIM-House, we wanted to present this continuity with the exhibition,” Zsófia adds. In terms of price, the ceramic cups of Zsuzsa Sinkovits and the works of some members of the H6 jewelry group fall into the HUF10-20 thousand price range, while the most expensive items, worth several million HUF, include the tapestry work of Erzsébet Katona Szabó and the oil painting of Mózes Incze.
According to the organizers, those who would like to contribute to the renovation of the new GIM-House building and support the community can do so by participating in the auction and fair, buying Florarium support products and purchasing tickets.
REFLECTIONS arts and crafts exhibition & fair & auction
7 May—31 July 2022
Captain’s residence, 2 Szabadság út, Gödöllő, 2100
Private auction (registration required): 4 June 2022, 7 p.m.
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Photos: Dániel Mátyás Fülöp
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