Statues of Rebels

The title of the group exhibition at acb Attachment is borrowed from Péter Szarka's series from 2002-2003. As a critique of the postindustrial social relations and intellectual condition at the turn of the millennium, Szarka's series points out the unreasonableness and senselessness of any kind of rebellion as well as the unviability of radical statements and actions. The present exhibition is a reconsideration of Szarka's skeptical thesis in the contemporary Hungarian and international economic and intellectual context, reflected by new works and different creative attitudes.

The exhibited works are direct or implied reactions to the social and cultural conditions of our time, but instead of making statements, they formulate ironic or sarcastic reflections. Their common characteristic is the use of symbols, which are represented in manipulated forms that twist or apostrophize the ideals, concepts, or phenomena they originally stand for. This attitude is most pronounced in the works of Ferenc Gróf, Tibor Horváth and Péter Tamás Halász. Many of the exhibited artists, namely Gábor Gerhes, Tamás Komoróczky, Péter Szalay, and Péter Szarka, reflect on art history or the techniques of representation in art (and design). Despite the fact that the selection is not medium-based, most of the artworks are related to sculpture, the medium implied by the title (although only the works of Péter Szalay and Péter Szarka can be considered sculptures in the traditional sense).

The Statues of Rebels exhibition is conceptually related to the exhibition entitled By any means necessary, which took place at the acb Gallery in 2013, and which presented radical statements by artists. The theme of socially engaged art plays a central role in numerous artistic practices, and one of the key elements of acb Gallery’s identity is a continuous reaction to current political and cultural conditions through its exhibitions and other activities. Even when the cultural scene is in a state of impotence and helplessness.