EXHIBITION DESIGN
Pécs Workshop 1968–1980 –
Parallel Avantgarde
Pécsi Műhely 1968–1980 –
Párhuzamos avantgárd
Exhibition at the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter - Gallery m21, Pécs, Hungary | 2017
Partner Institution: Ludwig Museum – Museum of Contemporary Art
Curator: József Készman & Attila T. Doboviczki
The exhibition presented the artistic activities and drew attention to the significance of a Neo-Avantgarde artist group that used to exist on the periphery of Hungarian art scene. The following artists were members of the artist group: Ferenc Ficzek (1947–1987), Károly Halász (1946–2016), Károly Kismányoki (1943), Sándor Pinczehelyi (1946), Kálmán Szijártó (1946). Until today, only a few publications are available on the history of this artist group. Members of Pécs Workshop (Pécsi Műhely) were labouring on renewing local constructivist and avantgarde traditions, as well as developing a new visual language and establishing a new visual culture. It was the Bauhaus artistic heritage they relied on as an example in their joint works. Apart from showing the most outstanding works created by members of Pécs Workshop, the selection also gave particular attention to the display of archival documents, exhibition catalogues, correspondences, collected reflexions; and to presenting cooperation between group members.
The exhibition received a dynamic design based on a mirrored "PM" logo. The minimalist "PM" drawn from geometric shapes refers simultaneously to the non-figurative aspiration of the 60s that deconstructs the view into structural elements, and the conceptualism of the 70s. The structure of the logo and the idea of the elements’ mobility were inspired by Károly Kismányoki and Kálmán Szijártó’s land art project entitled Stairs + Basic Elements.
Each group of artworks had been marked by a different detail of the main logo in the exhibition hall. The yellow square from the logo broke loose during the design process and gave the basis of labels and direction signs, were used to mark the location on maps, and Bruno’s Garden was also built with these blocks.
