Balaton-inspired Fresh Art Currents
As European Capital of Culture 2023, our main goal is to present the Veszprém-Balaton region as a cultural-creative area with the tools of contemporary art and fresh approaches. The Artists in Residence (AIR) programme elements enrich the toolkit of a number of our projects. The common denominator for the works of fine art, photography, ecological art and literature produced is that they are inspired by Lake Balaton: the invited artists will create their unique works based on their experiences and impressions of the location.
The aim of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture (ECoC VEB2023) programme is to present the traditional values of the Veszprém-Balaton region and at the same time enrich the cultural heritage of the region with new, fresh approaches. We would like to increase the visibility and the number of visitors for the artists, institutions and organizations living and operating in this area, where the landscape, the natural conditions and the atmosphere are of paramount importance.
We believe that the best place to create about Lake Balaton is at Lake Balaton. That is why we pay special attention to the Artists in Residence (AIR) events, which are multi-programmed and have artists invited or selected through a competition move to the settlements of the region. As European Capital of Culture, we consider it essential to embrace international artistic influences; we therefore invite artists from abroad to participate in residency programmes and show how they see the region through their art. Participants of the international artist residencies will create artworks inspired by their impressions and experiences in the special atmosphere of Lake Balaton, reflecting on the lake as a cultural landscape or as a natural medium in formation at the intersection of ecological challenges.
The Mayor of the Municipal City of Veszprém believes that visual arts are an important element for Veszprém and the region on the way to becoming a desirable destination on the international cultural scene in the long term. "The title of European Capital of Culture 2023 is an honour, but also a great responsibility: we are presenting ourselves to Europe. Our culture, traditions, and heritage need to be showcased in an exciting and interesting way that is also modern in its approach to tourists and artists.
The events, exhibitions and workshops that will be organized under the AIR programmes will hopefully be able to reach out to the younger generation (secondary school and university students) and will also trigger sustainable initiatives in the long term, beyond 2023. According to Can Togay, Chief Cultural and Artistic Adviser of Veszprém-Balaton 2023 JSC.: "The educational intention is of primary importance, to ensure that the appeal of visual arts as a genre is brought home to the younger generations. To this end, we need exhibitions and shows in a new style, open to the digital world, with artworks created in out-of-the-ordinary spaces."
As noted by Bernadett Grászli, director of the House of Arts Veszprém, which is taking the lion's share in the implementation of AIR programmes, the aim is to turn each unit of the renewed cultural institution into an active and long-term sustainable community space: "As an institution presenting contemporary culture, in addition to exhibitions creating dialogue between various artistic branches, we also pay attention to the development of programmes for the preservation of mental health and environmental sustainability. With the support of the VEB 2023 programme, we aim to promote a more socially oriented approach, renewing the institution's international relations, community club life and mentoring of amateur art groups linked to the institution."
It is the House of Arts Veszprém AIR programmes that will open the series of Balaton-inspired artworks:
Peter de Thouars and András Bernát, painters who share a special friendship that spans four decades, will open their exhibition on 9th July 2022 at the Dubniczay Palace in Veszprém. The exhibition will be open until 14th August 2022.
Read the HelloVEB interview with the artists here: https://helloveb.hu/hir/az-absztrakt-muveszet-amit-mi-kepviselunk-a-ter-es-a-realitas-altalunk-megalkotott-verzioja
Additional AIR programmes, supportedbyECoC VEB2023, willenrichthe overall culturallandscape of theregion and providevisitorswith a substantialleisureexperiencethroughout 2022 and 2023.
The ’BALATON EYE’ art residency programme hallmarked by the House of Arts Veszprém is set to be held on two dates in 2022: the exhibition opening on 9th July is a fitting closure to the two-week art residency event in June. As a continuation of this event, the AIR programme will be enriched by the artistic duo Christoph Dahlhausen and András Gál from 11th to 17th July 2022.
Work of great acclaim by the House of Arts of Veszprém is the ’BALATON EYE’ international photographic art programme scheduled for the summers of 2022 and 2023, based on local artistic traditions and carrying reflections on the Veszprém - Lake Balaton region. The artists participating in the programme are selected on the basis of their academic background in fine arts and more than 10 years of professional experience in the field of photographic art. Each year, the selected artists present their outstanding works in solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Under the residency programme they commit to actively participating in the established art education and art pedagogy activities, sharing their knowledge in workshops and public meetings organized by the ECoC VEB2023 programme. The photographic art programme will start in 2022, and the works of the invited European photographers will be presented at alternative venues (e.g. industrial buildings, churches...) in the Veszprém - Balaton region and in the exhibition spaces of the House of Arts Veszprém.
Quite naturally, literature cannot be excluded from the AIR series of events: in the spring of 2023, six major European poets will share their experiences of the Bakony-Balaton cultural landscape in the language of poetry, organized by the Balatonfüred Hungarian Translators' House. The poems will be adapted by invited translators in collaboration with the poets to suit the various languages, resulting in a multilingual poem collection, which will be presented to young literature-loving audiences at secondary school and university lectures. Recital evenings and pageant-style performances will enrich the programme during the high tourist season, offering visitors a stimulating and unique experience. As the conclusion of the project, the collection of poems will be published in the form of a volume in print.
Hosted by the Limnological Research Institute in Tihany in October 2022, our flagship programme BALATORIUM will offer the opportunity for the interested general public to create, explore and appreciate innovative ecological artworks. The tender-winning international team of artists: Péter Mátyási, Anders Ehlin and Selma Boskailo, Marie Ouazzani & Nicolas Carrier, will first gather inspiration for their work through discussions with researchers and on-site experiences. The Balaton-inspired works may be presented at the Ecological Weekend in August 2023.
More information about the BALATORIUM AIR programme: Home | BALATORIUM Bázis
HybridCycle AIR has been conceived in a similar spirit. It will host 8 artists for 3 weeks between June and October 2022 at the HibrydCycle creative space for artistic as well as sustainability-focussed activities. weeks between June and October 2022 at the HibrydCycle creative space for creative, sustainability-focussed activities. The primary aim of the residency is to explore the intersection and fringe areas of sustainability and the visual arts, encouraging and supporting creativity inspired by these themes. This year's programme is called BalaTones - Impressions of nature. Participating artists will reflect on messages of sustainability through their unique concepts. The focus will be on inspiration drawn from the environment, whether it is a distinctive landscape, a local environmental issue, a sociological or social pattern, a local natural or man-made asset.
For detailed information on HybridCycle's activities, see: Pure Lake Balaton, Pure Art! | HybridCycle
