SZIGLIGET CREATIVE HOUSE, MANK
The Szigliget Creative House is a cult site in the history of modern Hungarian literature and art. The exhibition "Where the Muses Live - Episodes from the History of the Szigliget Creative House" can be seen in several places in the village - in the Básti Lajos Community Centre, on the beach and in open spaces. In a series of events, we will symbolically open the doors of the palace so that the interested public can discover the cultural values created within the walls of the house.
The history of the Creative House and the range of works of art that have been created here are an inexhaustible wealth of knowledge, and we have captured some of its most exciting episodes to explore the inspirational environment through literary and artistic works. The history of the house in which the artists work is presented in a thematic structure, and the writers who created their works here are read, with a wealth of photographs illustrating the circumstances of their birth. We also get an insight into the unique setting of the botanic gardens, the behind-the-scenes world of the residential rooms and the exceptionally pleasant atmosphere of the social life that unfolded here.
Because the Creative House not only provided the opportunity for in-depth creative work, but also for friendly conversations and fun games, in short, for community life to flourish. After all, the greatest value, apart from the works of art, lies in the community, in togetherness, in shared artistic work.
The municipality and the people of Szigliget have to the present day continued to inspire and support the artistic and intellectual activity that has flourished here over the past decades, and for that we can all be grateful. This is why one of the curiosities of the exhibition is the video work by Dóra Maurer, in which local people, including children, alongside the artists working in the art house, try to determine what a mysterious photo depicts. Piroska Szántó also often talked to local people and researched the folk art corpus that inspired her own compositions. The same direct link holds true for writers and poets, who also captured the charm of Szigliget. It would be difficult to list the many important artists who spent time in the village and in the creative house. The exhibition's selection includes works by Ágnes Nagy Nemes, Lajos Kassák, László Nagy, Imre Kertész, Ferenc Juhász, István Örkény, among others, and the photographs on display bring to life their idyllic moments spent there.
