AL Actual / Alternative / Artpool Letter

11 issues of a bookwork like samizdat art magazine published in 1983-1985 by Artpool in Hungarian
(with summaries in English) about art events and art people in Hungary and abroad.

AL 1, AL 2, AL 3, AL 4, AL 5, AL 6,
AL 7, AL 8, AL 9, AL 10, AL 11

AL 5. (Summer 1983) - SUMMARY       

AL 5. is dedicated to the Balatonboglár Chapel that was run by György Galántai during four summers between 1970-1973. Most of the written documents recall major participating artists and events, and works that have been created since 1973 also appear. For non Hungarian readers concept works, texts, appeals and original scripts could only be fully appreciated in their translations. Since this short summary cannot venture at this only the titles are given in English.

1. Cover photo by Dóra Maurer (Balatonboglár, 1972)

2. “Galántai-exhibition in New York” by Gergely Molnár from the Ready Dreams series.

In his dream the author who has lived abroad since 1978 accounts a superbly organised New York exhibition of György Galántai and guides the reader through this unique show presenting each work on display.

3. Photo of Galántai in Balatonboglár 1973.

5. View from the cemetery-hill from the period of the Chapel-exhibitions.

6. What is avantgarde? Are Miklós Erdély, György Jovánovics and János Major avantgarde artists because they have exhibited a coat?

8. Photo of the Balatonboglár Chapel and the cemetery-hill

9. “Dear Visitor” by Péter Legéndy

(Original document first exhibited in Balatonboglár, 1973)

11. Irregular Questions - Irregular Answers (1979) by Péter Legéndy and Gyula Pauer

12-13. Exclusion exercise: Penalty Prevention Autotherapy by Tamás Szentjóby.

14. Parallel Course Training Track by János Baksa-Soós and Tamás Szentjóby. Happening - Rite of Initiation “A-B”, Script for Happening in Balatonboglár, 1971.

15. Iconoclast-Kentaur. Essay by Ádám Tábor on an experimental film by Tamás Szentjóby,

18. Interview on IPUT and on the 24th Swiss Canton. Radiowork by Tamás Szentjóby.

IPUT (International Parallel Union of Telecommunication) was founded by Szentjóby in Hungary in 1968, and has been run in Geneva since 1976. Its aim is to realize a minimal existence standard project and to create a non-working mutant class.

24. Conversation round the rim of the well (1983). (Participants: György Galántai, Lóránd Hegyi, Julia Klaniczay, Géza Perneczky).

Géza Perneczky, art critic living in Cologne since 1973, compares progressive art in Eastern and Western Europe while he also examines the minor effectiveness of Hungarian avantgarde art.

31. Balatonboglár, 1972. Photos of the Czechoslovakian-Hungarian artists’ meeting organised by László Beke. List of participants included.

33. Invitation by László Lugosi Lugo for a photo event, 1983.

34. Creativity and Visuals. Invitation for and programme of a two-week event, 1976.

35. Photo of the creativity group, 1976. Event organized by Miklós Erdély, György Galántai, Dóra Maurer.

36. Model for a Visual Action (1974). Concept piece by György Galántai.

37. Invitation for an exhibition of György Galántai (August 26-September 16, 1983).

AL 5. SUPPLEMENT: Selfportraits, Bookwork by György Galántai, 1983.

38. Photos of the Mirror-exhibition, Balatonboglár, Chapel Studio,1973, organised by László Beke.

39. List of the artists of the Mirror-exhibition.

40. Visual poetry event by Dóra Maurer, Balatonboglár, 1973.

41. Poster of the first Hungarian exhibition of Visual Poetry, Balatonboglár, Chapel Studio, 1973, organised by Dóra Maurer and Gábor Tóth.

42, Invitation for the poetry programme “Lélegzet VIII” (Breath 8) dedicated to the oeuvre of Béla Hamvas, 1983.

Béla Hamvas (1897-1968) was a strange and outstanding figure in Hungarian literary thought. In 1948 he was attacked by marxist critics who rejected his concepts. Hamvas, who had frequently published writings before, has not appeared in print since then and has worked as a store-keeper in various country towns. Most of his writing is still in manuscript.

The essay by Endre Miklóssy published here (Hazatérés-Coming Home) read that evening as an attempt to find Hamvas's place in the universal history of thought,

47. Constructing the “Big Monkey” for King Kong by Kassák Theatre, Balatonboglár, Chapel, 1973.

48. Original script of King Kong for the Chapel and its Environments.

Performed by Péter Halász and the Kassák Theatre, Balatonboglár, 1973. The theatre company left Hungary in 1975, and had since formed Squat Theatre in New York.

51. Photo of the King Kong performance.

52. “Friendly Treatment” by László Najmányi. Performance performed by Kovács István Studió, led by Najmányi, Balatonboglár, 1973.

54. Photo of the Friendly Treatment performance.

55. One page from the guest book of the Balatonboglár Chapel.

Note by Miklós Haraszti, writer, on Tibor Hajas, who had his own performance built into Friendly Treatment.

57. “Performance and Photography”, performance by Tibor Hajas (1946-1980), Esztergom, 1980.

58-59. Performance by the Brobo Group (led by János Szikora), Balatonboglár, Chapel, 1973.

60. György Galántai converses with István Haraszty, kinetic sculptor in August 1983.

Haraszty's first major one-man exhibition was held in the Balatonboglár Chapel Studio, 1971. In the first part of their conversation they recall the atmosphere of the Chapel exhibitions and the consequences of the ten years that have passed since then. Haraszty also speaks of the scenery for Hrabal's Bambini di Praga he designed (along with Gyula Pauer, artist, László Rajk, architect and others) for the Theatre of Győr (the play was directed by János Szikora). Though the play was highly appreciated even by official critics, the scenery work strangely enough was not shown at the Műcsarnok exhibition of the best theatre designs of last year. Haraszty feels contemporary Hungarian cultural authorities do not favour progressive art, so it's not worth putting up exhibitions because there is no audience that would welcome new works. But he's not disappointed and even feels his creation of sincere new works is not limited in any way.

64-65. Two pages from the catalogue of the exhibition of Pécsi Műhely (Pécsi Workshop), Balatonboglár, 1972.

66. György Galántai's Chapel Studio, Balatonboglár, 1970-1973.

Short summary of events in the Studio during the above four years.

(The list of participating artists appears in the Hungarian order: first come surnames then first names.)

1970: 4 exhibitions, 2 poetry evenings, 2 concerts

1971: 12 exhibitions, “A-B” happening, concerts, poetry evenings, performance of the Kassák Theatre

1972: 8 exhibitions, Avantgarde Festival, Czechoslovakian-Hungarian artists' meeting, theatre performances (Kassák Theatre, Brobo), poetry evenings

1973: 11 exhibitions (2 international show: Mirror and Visual Poetry), film projections, theatre performances (Kassák Theatre, Brobo, Kovács István Studio), actions, performances, happenings, a sound poetry performance

66. and 68. Photos of the Balatonboglár Chapel, 1968.

69. Bibliography of major articles on the Balatonboglár Chapel.

70. News on Hungarian and international art events.