Árpád fenyvesi Tóth

Hungarian poet and artist Árpád fenyvesi Tóth (1950-2014) spent most of his life in Balatonfenyves, far from the scenes of official and underground culture. Although he was familiar with the inner circles of the Hungarian neo-avant-garde, his endeavours were mainly associated with the heritage of the historical avant-garde, especially Lajos Kassák’s work and the spirit of the Bosch+Bosch group in Subotica, Yugoslavia. In the midsixties, he delved into visual poetry employing techniques of collage, graphic elements and semiotic research. Simultaneously he was making graphic art characterised by the analysis of space as well as traditions of surnaturalism and bioromanticism. In the first half of the eighties, his early experiences were augmented by his interest in Far-Eastern philosophy, resulting in the geometric Tao Te Ching series. He started creating his first comic strips in 1972 as the earliest prominent examples of the genre in Hungary and joined the mail art network – thus becoming a member of a vast international movement, while living in relative confinement at the settlement by the lake Balaton – in 1975.