Poster Paraphrases
Variations on Vasarely by the artists of the Hungarian Poster Society

According to Victor Vasarely’s formulation, the creation of multiplied works, including posters, “allows art to emerge into the street, to invade the city, nature, and to penetrate consciousness not only at the level of a privileged elite but at that of the human masses.”[4]

This quote from the Hungarian-born artist dates back to 1969. Our current digital society, based on networked knowledge and consuming electronic culture, did not yet exist. During Vasarely’s lifetime – spanning the entire 20th century – posters represented the form of visual communication closest to fine art. The artistic posters, adorning public spaces with vibrant bursts of colour, followed distinctive aesthetic patterns. The content encoded within symbolic messages was presented succinctly and objectively. The poster should be regarded as a medium that does not only delight, communicate, and represent. but also mobilizes, encourages critical thinking, and stimulates the mind through visual associations.

Victor Vasarely, who began his career as a graphic designer, attempted to incorporate into his art not only the formal conventions typical of posters, but also the media philosophical problems inherent to the technique. The revision of the aesthetics of reproducibility and dissemination, as well as the creation of „secondary works,” were a declared part of his artistic program from the early 1950s. His theoretical deliberations, far ahead of his time, anticipated contemporary forms of ownership and use of images, including memes (the fad-like spread of some cultural content or artefact through social media), NFTs (ensuring the uniqueness of a picture through digital blockchain technology), or artificial intelligence applied to visual image generation.

Vasarely was convinced that only the „recreation of works” ensures „the precise understanding of the creator’s emotions and thoughts for future generations.”[5] He further emphasized his statement with the following declaration: „I authorize young painters to recreate my compositions in different formats, with different materials.”[6] This somewhat provocative suggestion, crafted to ensure the longevity of his own ideas and propositions, might even be regarded as the guiding principle of the exhibition showcased here.

Members of the Hungarian Poster Society have volunteered to commemorate the iconic works of Victor Vasarely, considered the creator of an independent artistic direction – op-art –, and the abstract geometric thinking inseparable from his name, using the toolkit of contemporary posters. Established by József Árendás, Ferenc Baráth, Krzysztof Ducki, István Orosz, Sándor Pinczehelyi, and Péter Pócs, the group, which now counts nearly forty members, aims to explore the applicability of the medium’s unique language to the visual culture of the new century while preserving and nurturing the traditions and spirit of Hungarian and international poster art. Since its establishment in 2004, the Hungarian Poster Society has successfully participated in several exhibitions both in Hungary and abroad.

Exhibitng artists:

ÁRENDÁS József, BAKOS István, BARÁTH Ferenc, BUDAI Lotte, DUCKI Krzysztof,  E. ZSEMBERI-SZÍGYÁRTÓ Miklós, FANISZLÓ Ádám, GÁL Krisztián, GYÁRFÁS Gábor, HORKAY István, KÁLDOR Katalin,  KERESZTES Dóra, KOROLOVSZKY Anna, KOVÁCS Vera, MOLNÁR Gyula, OROSZ István, SIMON Péter Bence, SZABÓ Andrea, SZ. ESZTERÓ Anett,SZLAMA Norbert, TÓTH Andrej, TÓTH Tamás, VARGA Anna Gizella, VITÁNYI Regina

Curated by OROSZ Márton

[1] Jean-Louis Ferrier: Négyszemközt Vasarelyvel. Corvina Kiadó, Budapest, 1981. 104.

[2] Victor Vasarely: Színes város. A művészet hétköznapi életünkben. Gondolat, Budapest, 1983. 115.

[3] Uo.

[4] Jean-Louis Ferrier, Entretiens avec Victor Vasarely (Paris: Éditions Pierre Belfond, 1969), 119.

[5] Victor Vasarely, Plasti-Cité. L’Oeuvre plastique dans votre vie quotidienne (Tournai: Casterman, 1970), 102.

[6] Ibid.