Debrecen4U March 10, 2026

Debrecen’s Contemporary Art Center Turns 20 with a New Exhibition: “Modem 20”

An exhibition titled Modem 20, featuring works from MODEM’s collection, will open on 14 March at 4 p.m.

As stated in the programme description, the opening will include a welcome speech by Tamás Szentei, Head of the Cultural Department of the City of Debrecen, while Managing Director Kata Vizi will also greet the audience. The exhibition will be opened by curator and art historian Barnabás Bencsik. The event will conclude with a curator-led guided tour by Tamás Don.

For the institution, founded in 2006, cooperation with cultural and educational actors in Debrecen has been of particular importance from the very beginning, which is why twenty partner institutions from Debrecen, with which they have collaborated over the past two decades, were invited to select a work from the collection that is important to them and to provide a justification of no more than 1,500 characters.

Part of the anniversary programme is dedicated to presenting the cultural diversity of Debrecen, as well as conveying a kind of kaleidoscopic image of the works in the collection through the perspectives of the partner institutions.

In the second section of the exhibition, works have been selected by artists who are connected to Modem in some way—for example, they have previously appeared in exhibitions there—but until now there has been no opportunity for the institution to acquire their works.

Exhibiting artists:

Kristóf József Balogh, Mária Berhidi, Ákos Birkás, Loránd Bögös, Imre Bukta, Centrala (Małgorzata Kuciewicz & Simone De Iacobis), Balázs Csizik, Daniel Godínez Nivón, Miklós Erhardt, Mátyás Erményi, Miklós Ganczaugh, Pál Gerber, Kitti Gosztola, Ferenc Gróf, Sándor Imreh, Richárd Kiss, Katalin Kortmann-Járay & Karina Mendreczky, Gábor Kristóf, Csilla Nagy, Norbert Oláh, Rudolf Pacsika, Péter Pettendi-Szabó, Luca Rózsa, Société Réaliste, Ádám Szabó, Lilla Szász, Lenke Szilágyi, Lilla Váczi, Ottó Vincze, Wiosna van Bon

Partners who selected works from the collection:

Alföld – literary, artistic and critical journal, Dr János Áfra, poet and editor
Antal–Lusztig Collection, Dr Péter Antal, collector
Campus Festival, András Süli, programme director
University of Debrecen Botanical Garden, Dr Attila Takács, director
University of Debrecen Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Hungarian Literature and Cultural Studies, Dr Gergely Tamás Fazakas, head of institute
University of Debrecen Faculty of Humanities, Institute of Media and Library Science, Department of Communication and Media Studies, Prof Dr Sándor Kálai, head of department
University of Debrecen Faculty of Humanities, Arts Centre, Dr Zsigmond Lakó, director
University of Debrecen Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture, DLA János Vági, head of department
University of Debrecen Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Prof Dr Ibolya Czibere, head of department; Dr Noémi Loncsák, assistant lecturer
Museum of the Debrecen Reformed College, Dr Dániel Veress, museologist
Déri Museum, Anna Viola Szabó, chief museologist and photo historian
Kós Károly Secondary School of Art and College, Margit Kozmáné Lőrincz, deputy principal
kulter.hu, Barnabás Pótor, managing editor
Ferenc Medgyessy Grammar School, Secondary School of Art and Technical School, János László, deputy principal
Méliusz Juhász Péter Library, Dr Béla Lóránt Kovács, director
Vojtina Puppet Theatre, Terka Láposi, director and artistic director
City of Debrecen, Dr István Puskás, deputy mayor responsible for culture
City of Debrecen, Dr István Gábor, chief architect
Most recent recipient of the Modem Prize: Nóra Juhász, visual artist
Tenants of Modem

Source and photo credit: dehir.hu