Hungarian Art and Business (HAB), a platform for contemporary Hungarian art, reinterprets the past, embraces, creates, and presents the new, while interactively connecting art with the community. Délia Vékony hosted a guided tour for her IBS colleagues. Our colleagues share their thoughts on the occasion below.
“Enter the HAB and you leave the mundane world behind. A giant, pearlescent spiral staircase, and foam cloud ceilings above a range of thought-provoking works of art. What I especially liked about this exhibition was the unity of artwork from completely different eras displayed in each other’s vicinity. Nowhere else have I seen a renowned painting from the Middle Ages hanging on the wall next to a photo shot in 2023. Even the theme of the current exhibition was food for thought: Life and Death on the ground floor and Birth on the upper floor. The exhibition gets powerful through Delia’s fascinating guided tour flavoured by some art historical hints and facts. It takes you on a journey to another world. Interestingly enough HAB also hosts a special art studio and graphics workshop in the basement. “
Andrea Hajdu
“We had the opportunity to participate in a guided tour led by Delia Vékony at HAB this Monday. The guided tour provided an excellent opportunity to explore the details of the current exhibition at HAB and understand how the art institution began to function from its inception.
The theme of the exhibition focused on the concept of creation and how we can rejuvenate ourselves in a challenging world through paintings, photographs, and installations. The current exhibition also emphasizes the significance of learning from old masters and explores what contemporary art reveals about the question of creation from personal, social, and spiritual perspectives. The exhibition was expertly curated, featuring artworks ranging from Dürer and Rembrandt to contemporary photographs by Lorca diCorcia.
I was most struck by the photo of a blind woman with sunlight shining through her eyes, representing the lights of everyday life in a world born in the mind. Another interesting piece of art for me was a painting of a girl's hair, symbolizing passing away. We would never think that our hair could represent creation/growth as well as decay.”
Nora Kricska
“The airy atmosphere of the HAB (Hungarian Art and Business) space was inviting; professional exhibition halls set within a grand villa, furnished with comfortable seating and adorned with a festive Christmas tree. The exhibition's theme explored the depths of existence, beginning with the image of creation. The sculptures and installations focused on the interrelationships between beings in various forms of existence, within the triad of man-animal-nature. On the second floor, photographs of modern-day Adam (a Black man) and Eve (a visually impaired girl) welcomed visitors, offering a poignant representation of the burdens of existence. 17th and 18th-century paintings from the Museum of Fine Arts harmonized beautifully with the latest contemporary artworks. As Délia guided us through the exhibits, we pondered the profound questions: Where does life originate and end? Upon what and whom does the miracle of life and the sentience of the soul depend, enclosed within the human form?”
Máté Mayer