Gypsy Painting Hungary 1969-2009 / Cigany Festeszet Magyarorszag 1969-2009

THE FOUNDERS OF GYPSY PAINTING, SEVENTY-FOUR GYPSY PAINTERS TOGETHER WITH COLLEAGUES OF THE GYPSY HOUSE INVITE YOU TO JOIN THEM ON AN INTIMATE JOURNEY TO THE WORLD OF GYPSY PAINTING. FOR MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY, WE HAVE BEEN ACTIVE IN COLLECTING ARTWORKS, ORGANISING SUMMER ART WORKSHOPS AND OFFERING HELP WHENEVER NEEDED. I BELIEVE THAT WE PROVED TO BE RELIABLE. AS AN INSTITUTE OF THE BUDAPEST CITY COUNCIL AT THAT TIME, WE FOUNDED A GYPSY FINE ART COLLECTION IN 1987. OVER THE TWENTY-TWO YEARS OF THE GYPSY HOUSE WE ORGANISED SEVERAL HUNDREDS OF EXHIBITIONS FROM OUR COLLECTION OF 2500 PIECES, A SIGNIFICANT PART OF WHICH IS PUBLISHED HERE. WE KNEW EXACTLY THAT WE WERE THE WITNESSES AND CONTRIBUTORS OF A HISTORICAL TIME. GYPSY PAINTING WAS BORN IN FRONT OF OUR EYES. THE PERIOD THAT WAS CHARACTERISED BY THE REPRESENTATION AND CONTINUOUS ENRICHMENT OF GYPSY ART BEGAN IN THE 1960S. GYPSY CULTURE WAS REBORN AND EXPLORED MODERN AND UNIVERSAL FORMS OF EXPRESSION, FINDING ITS WAY TOWARDS THE HIGHEST ARTISTIC VALUES. EXCEPTIONAL GYPSY TALENTS RECOMPOSED THEIR CULTURE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THE METEOR-LIKE APPEARANCE OF PAINTER JÁNOS BALÁZS AND POET KÁROLY BARI FINALLY CHANGED EVERYTHING AND HAS AN EVERLASTING EFFECT ON THE ENTIRE GYPSY NATION. THEIR BREAKTHROUGH TALENT AND INIMITABLE UNIQUENESS MANAGED TO CONFUTE AND BLAST THE WELL BUILT IDEOLOGY OF POLITICIANS AND INTELLECTUALS WHO STIGMATIZED GYPSIES TO BE A NATION WITHOUT CULTURE. FOLLOWING THEIR FOOTSTEPS MANY GENERATIONS HAVE PUT THEIR NAMES IN THE COLOURFUL AND RICH WORLD OF GYPSY CULTURE. THE AGE-LONG DELUSION BASED ON RACIAL PREJUDICE ABOUT GYPSIES IS NOT MERELY SPECIFIC TO PAST TIMES. SYSTEMS MAY CHANGE, WHILE THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS ON  GYPSIES DO NOT. LUCKILY, THE TALENT OF GYPSY PAINTERS, WRITERS, POETS, MUSICIANS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS, THE BEAUTY OF THEIR WORKS TOGETHER WITH THE HUMANITY OF THEIR ART CAN SHINE THROUGH SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND THE DEPRESSING DARKNESS THAT ACCOMPANIES THE LACK OF A LIVEABLE FUTURE. IN THIS ALBUM, THE CREATORS OF GYPSY PAINTING MAKE US BELIEVE THAT THE SUN NEVER STOPS SHINING. WE ALSO AGREE WHEN THEY SAY THAT IT IS POSSIBLE TO PRESERVE OUR HUMANNESS EVEN IN TIMES OF DANGER. THESE PAINTERS REVEAL THEMSELVES WITH FASCINATING HONESTY AND OPENNESS. THEY LONG FOR BEING SEEN, UNDERSTOOD AND HONOURED. THEY WOULD LIKE TO INSPIRE AND INFLUENCE - ESPECIALLY THE NEXT GENERATION, HOPING THAT THEY CAN BE UNPREJUDICED TOWARDS GYPSIES UNLIKE OUR CONTEMPORARIES. THEY HOPE THAT THIS WAY GYPSY PAINTERS, AND THROUGH THEM GYPSIES CAN BE UNDERSTOOD. THEY LEAVE A HERITAGE FOR THE GYPSY NATION AND TO THE WORLD IN THEIR NAMES. HIS PAINTER GENERATION WILL BECOME THE POSITIVE CAPITAL OF THE GYPSIES IN UPCOMING TIMES. SO FAR, GYPSIES HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO ENJOY ANY OF THE SOCIAL CAPITALS. THAT IS WHY THEY KEEP CREATING NEW MENTAL VALUES THROUGH ART AND CREATIVITY AS WELL AS AN OWN CAPITAL WHICH CAN REMOVE THE FRILLS AND DISCREDITED FRAGMENTS OF IDEAS FROM THE WAY OF THE CLEAREST HUMAN COMMUNICATION. THE PAINTERS TALK TO THEIR HOMELAND, HUNGARY THROUGH THEIR ART. THEY TALK TO ALL THE PEOPLE LIVING IN THIS COUNTRY. WHAT DO THEY WANT? WE DO NOT KNOW. LIKE EVERY SECRET, WISDOM, MESSAGE AND TEACHING, THEY HAVE TO BE SOLVED. WHAT CAN BE SEEN ON THEIR PICTURES? DREAMS AND DESIRES. TEARS, SORROW AND HAPPINESS. HUMOUR, EROTICISM, WISDOM, MEMORY AND ABSTRACTION. ELEVATION AND AESTHETICS, TASTE, SENSE OF PROPORTION, SEARCHING THE WAY AND ARRIVAL. THE BEAUTIFUL VERSIONS INHERENT IN THE CURVES OF TIME AND SPACE. SPACE AGE AND ABSTRACT FORMS. THEY DEPICT THE WORLD AND THE PEOPLE AS BEAUTIFUL, UGLY, ENCHANTED, LOVABLE AND THREATENING. THEY SEE THEIR ANCESTORS. THEY REMEMBER THE PAST. THEY CAN SEE THE FUTURE. THEY CAN SEE THE EVIL. THEY ARE ANXIOUS. THEY ARE AFRAID. THEY NURSE HOPES. THEY ARE ALSO JOYFUL. THEY ARE HAPPY. THEIR COLOURS MAKE US HAPPY. WE NEED THE WORLD THAT THEY CAN SEE. IT IS SO MUCH MORE BEAUTIFUL. CAN COLOURS BE FAIR? YES. COLOURS GIVE THEIR RICHNESS TO THE GYPSY PAINTERS IN A JUST AND UNPREJUDICED WAY. THEY ASK GYPSY PAINTERS: „PLEASE, TREAT ME NICE LIKE A FREE HUMAN BEING BECAUSE I AM ALSO FREE, THE ELEMENT OF YOUR WORK. I AM EXCITED TO SEE HOW WE CAN GET ON WITH EACH OTHER. YOU ARE ALSO COLOURFUL TO ME." THESE PAINTERS LISTEN TO THE COLOURS. THEY HAVE BECOME GOOD FRIENDS AND PARTNERS IN WORK. WE CAN MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER AND WORSE. WHEN AND WHICH DIRECTION WE CHOOSE DEPENDS ON US. IT DEPENDS ON US, WHO ARE INVITED BY THIS ALBUM TO A PERSONAL MEETING WITH THE GYPSY PAINTERS. THOSE, WHO SEEM THE POOREST IN EVERYDAY TERMS, BUT ARE THE RICHEST ON THE LEVEL OF UNIVERSAL HUMAN VALUES. THEY ARE THE ONES NOW TO LEND US THEIR RICHNESS. PLEASE WELCOME THEM WITH TRUE HEART. 24. DECEMBER 2009. BUDAPEST JENŐ ZSIGÓ director