Mud and Gold | Alpár Főcze's solo exhibition
Today's capitalist economic system creates an imperative situation that requires migration from the countryside to the big cities. As a result, the rural way of life, with its thousands of years of history, has become a social order in decline. The exhibition Mud and Gold aims to draw attention to this problem, which is also felt on a global scale, by presenting the situation of the rural people in the Gyimes Valley.
Schedule
It is important to initiate dialogues on the everyday difficulties faced by small rural communities and on creating the conditions for their survival. This is not only a personal tragedy, but can also be associated with the loss of cultural and identity values that define a nation collectively.
Alpár Főcze's works of art show in a very direct way the daily struggles and struggles of the people of the villages that are being emptied. The struggle they have to fight for their existence and identity every day. The exhibition is an attempt to present a collective perspective. The works are based on photographs that are shared between the people of Gyimes or that are shared by others on social media. As a result, multiple perspectives and life situations are interwoven and placed in a common context.
In the images, space and time are malleable and disrupted. In terms of technique, the works are made in pastel, a strong reflection on the present and the past of Romanian art. Pastel is one of the cheapest materials and therefore a particularly popular technique in the country and in Transylvania.
Peasant romanticism is still alive in the media today, creating a misconception of the rural way of life. Nevertheless, they continue to face the threat of impoverishment and total disappearance. The artist's choice of subject is an attempt to combat this. He is emphatically trying to address a problem that has long been the subject of debate, but which has not been sufficiently addressed.
The exhibition will be opened by János Főcze, historian
Tamás Józsa on piano