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The work entitled “The Artist and the City” by the graphic artist Ákos László can now be seen on the firewall of the building at 28 Piac Street, facing Gambrinus köz and was unveiled on 3rd of July 2023.
István Puskás, Deputy Mayor of Debrecen, recalled that in recent days there have been several news reports about the work in the online space, and the people of Debrecen already feel addressed by this work, which is the result of a model of cooperation. He said that he hoped that more such collaborations could be created and that more and more public artworks representing Debrecen’s identity would decorate the city. He stressed that they would like to revitalise the city centre of Debrecen and extend cultural life to as much of the city as possible.
The work was a collaboration between the artist Ákos László, one of the iconic figures of Debrecen who, although not born here, has found a home in the city and can thus represent the traditions of Debrecen and the Grafik Trafik team, who replicated the work as part of a greater whole. The deputy mayor stressed that Debrecen is a welcoming city, and whoever can identify with this community, whoever wants to be a useful and active member of this community, the city will welcome them.
Ákos László expressed his thanks by recalling an award ceremony in 2015 and then quoted his favourite poet, János Székely from Târgu Mures.
Edit Erdei, CEO of Cívis Ház Zrt., emphasised that Ákos László is not only a captivating artist but also a human being. She noted that for them, as a company so active in the city centre, every activity, attraction and appearance is important, and with this extraordinary artwork, they can show the city another exciting surface, and the murals can become a journey through the city centre.
Tünde Szabó, deputy director of the Méliusz Juhász Péter Library, said that over the past few years, they had made possible and handed over to the people of Debrecen a number of programmes, literary events and publications of local historical significance. As he said, today’s event is one of the highlights of these few years, and the fact that Ákos László’s work could be placed on this wall crowns these few years.
Tamás Vékony, a mural artist, said that after lengthy preparatory work, it took five days to paint the entire 260 square metres of the wall, which included a replica of a print by an iconic Debrecen artist.
Source: debrecen.hu | Photo credit: János Miskolczi
