Local services
On the initiative and support of Debrecen Municipality, Debrecen’s fine art exhibition spaces, associations, art schools and private individuals will talk about Debrecen’s contemporary fine art in the exhibition and alternative spaces of the city centre for four days. At the same time and in accordance with the 33rd Debrecen Spring Exhibition, 9-12 May, exhibitions, guided tours, workshops, studio visits, local fine and photographic art, as well as visual art training in Debrecen are celebrated.
Art Week exhibitions and events are free to visit.
PROGRAMMES
Centenary commemorative exhibition of graphic artist Mihály Móré – New Town Hall Gallery (Kálvin square 11)
Debrecen-born graphic artist left a lasting legacy of lively drawings and character portrayal. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under masters like Géza Fónyi, György Konecsni, Károly Koffán, and István Szőnyi, and was considered a significant figure in Debrecen’s art and public life.
Opening: May 9, 3 p.m.
Open: May 9, 3:00 p.m.– 6:00 p.m., May 10, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., after the festival closes until May 30, weekdays 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Shredding line ray – Exhibition by artist Konrád Kaszás – Debrecen German Cultural Forum (Batthyány street 24)
Konrád Kaszás, a Budapest-based artist, focuses on colour interpretation and perception, as well as abstract impressions of form. His drawing patterns, aligned in line systems, create Eastern culture’s calligraphic lightness, while colour fields form weightless visual sensations. This unrecognisable formal language pushes abstract pictorial harmony to representational painting, offering an interpretative solution.
Opening and guided tour: May 9, 4 p.m.
Open until May 28, Monday to Friday 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. , Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Medgyessy in Medgyessy – An unusual spreading (“spreading” is a common practice in art education, whereby the students present their work on the floor in front of each other, spread out over the course of a semester/year) – Medgyessy Ferenc Memorial Museum and Debrecen House of Literature (Péterfia street 28)
Opening: May 9, 5:00 p.m.
Open May 9-12, 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m
MODEM Project Space: Exhibition “Answers without questions” by Kristóf József Balogh – MODEM Modern and Contemporary Art Center (Hunyadi Street 1-3 )
Kristóf József Balogh, a Budapest-based artist, will exhibit his first solo exhibition at MODEM. His work uses screenshots of mysterious incidents as source material, incorporating unexpected shifts between cartoon characters, animals, and human figures. Balogh’s aim is not calm contemplation but to create a receptive environment for viewers to respond directly to his images.
Opening: May 9, 6:00 p.m.
Open except Monday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Other exhibitions at MODEM: The Image of Color, the Mystery of Image, “What year are you?”
Open except Monday, daily 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m
Additional programs in MODEM:
English guided tour at The Image of Color, the Mystery of Image exhibition, May 10, 5:00 p.m.
English guided tour at “What year are you?” “Answers without questions” exhibitions May 11, 3:00 p.m.
From Aladár Almásy to Rudolf Velényi – Debrecen artists in focus – Piac Street 69
Kiss-Nagy, a Debrecen couple, will present a selection of works from their collection, including exhibition catalogues, magazines, and posters, for Art Week, commemorating István Burai’s 7th anniversary and promoting a receptive response to images.
Opening: May 10, 4.00 p.m.
Additional day guided tour May 13, 5:00 p.m
Open: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
What is the Sun? Exhibition of painter Melitta Méhi Csorján – Partium House (Piac Street 81)
Melitta Csorján, an artist from Székelyhíd, believes in the ancient reality of creation, focusing on the creation of the sun, earth, and animals in God’s image. She plays with ideas, materials, colours, lights, possibilities, and experiments, expressing her belief in the power of light and the Sun in existence.
Opening: May 10, 5:00 p.m
Open: May 9–10. after the closing of the festival until June 10, weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00p.m
Your role is here – The collage exhibition of the Debrecen Artists’ Guild Association – New Gallery (Széchenyi Street 1)
The exhibition transforms collage materials, objects, and surfaces into colourful, performative art, encouraging audience participation as explorers and decipherers of enigmatic meanings.
Opening: May 10, 7:00 p.m
Open: May 9 – 22, 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. except Mondays
33rd Spring Exhibition in Debrecen – Bényi Gallery Hunyadi Street (1-3)
The Debrecen Spring Art Exhibition, a popular event in the local art scene, returns for its 33rd year at the Kölcsey Centre’s Bényi Gallery. The exhibition features local and expatriate artists in fine arts, photography, and applied arts, with sculptures annually.
Opening: May 11 at 5:00 p.m
Open: until June 20, daily from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m
Impressions, improvisations 2.0 – Bényi Gallery (Hunyadi Street 1-3)
Two years ago, a concept combining music, dance, and painting was born. The first performance was Impressions, improvisations, during Flower Carnival. Last year, it moved to Déri Square, featuring 25 artists and 30 dancers. The exhibition will showcase their paintings during Debrecen Art Week.
Opening: May 12, 4:00 p.m.
Open until June 19, daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m
Mind the Mind – Exhibition of architect and artist Flóra Kőszeghy – IKON Restaurant – Sesztina Gallery (Hal köz 3)
Flóra Kőszeghy, an architect and PhD candidate, explores the relationship between technology and humans in her solo exhibition. Her works combine artificial intelligence and human mind, highlighting the importance of manuality and cooperation. Kőszeghy’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally since 2015, and she is currently researching digital culture at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design.
Opening: May 11 at 7.00 p.m.
Open: May 9-19, during Art Week from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., after the closing of the festival at a time agreed with IKON Restaurant
Burning victim (Selection of the works of graphic artists from Debrecen) – Synagogue Gallery (Pásti Street 4)
The Jewish Community of Debrecen is organising an international art camp and exhibitions to mark the 80th anniversary of the Holocaust, aiming to challenge the silence of forgetting.
Opening: May 11, 9:00 p.m.
Open: May 9 – August 8, except for Saturdays and Sundays, daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., also open on Sundays during Art Week
Exhibition of young association members (Sándor Gárdonyi, Attila Lénárt, Attila Börcsök, Viktória Kovács) – GADE headquarters, City Center Art workshop (Szent Anna Street 8)
Debrecen graphics has a long history, with the Ajtósi Dürer Association promoting traditional techniques and diverse graphic art activities, including individual, reproduced sheets, and computer graphics.
Graphic design workshop
May 10, 10:00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. studio visit at the Downtown Creation Workshop
May 11 10:00 a.m. – 2.00 p.m. Lino-cutting workshop for primary and secondary school students
May 12 10:00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. Colour etching – demonstration by graphic artist Zoltán Nagy Sándor
Open: May 9 – 12. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – entry from the parking lot next to UniCredit Bank in Kossuth Street
Exhibition of Students of Kós Károly Vocational School, Technical College and College of Arts “Kós today and tomorrow “– Piac Street 11-15. (Aranybika)
Visitors to the site can get a glimpse into the mysteries of traditional graphic processes, various goldsmithing techniques and fashion design, as well as the creation of artistic creations.
Open May 9 – 12, 3:00 – 8:00 p.m. (exhibition and workshop)
Saint Stephen’s Park
Kós Károly Vocational School, Technical College and College of Arts creates a colourful, interactive, artistic playground on the grassy area behind the old town hall, based on the theme of tomorrow. The local students are waiting for the event for young and old who want to play. In 2019, the school earned the title of eco-school, in light of this, all the works and games placed on the square are created in the spirit of recycling. On Friday and Saturday evenings, the organisers of the school welcome visitors with building painting and music.
Magical photography – Debrecen Photo Workshop exhibition and photographer Géza Seres’ workshop – Piac Street 11-15 (Aranybika)
Thirty years ago, taking a photo with a phone was considered a con man, but today, it’s a commonplace activity. The Debrecen Photographic Workshop offers a workshop on making and testing pinhole cameras, allowing anyone to create their own “magic.” Participants can make their own photo-making device from a beer can, try it out, and take the developed image. The workshop also features an exhibition of pinhole camera images.
Open: May 9–12, 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (exhibition and workshop)
Experiments in photography – A selection of the works of the artists of the 90-year-old Debrecen Photo Club – Piac Street 56
The last 90 years in photographic history have seen three defining, flourishing periods. The first is the golden age, which lasted from the founding of the city because even during the war, the city was still bustling with cultural life until 1944. The seventies were an equally brilliant and glorious period, when a number of important and nationally and internationally renowned photographers worked in Debrecen. The third heyday of the Fotóklub is the current period, as this exhibition is testimony to.
Workshop
Macro photography: tips, tricks, tools, visitors will be shown how to use lenses, telephoto rings, and add tools for tripods, lighting, and defogging.
Mobile photography: setting up your mobile’s own camera software, sharpness, brightness, cropping, resolution, using guide lines and the basics of post-production
Making a cyanotype photogram: taking pictures by placing objects or plants on pre-applied paper, exposing them and developing them.
Quiz: 13+1 questions from the history of Hungarian photography. Visitors can play for prizes to test their photographic knowledge.
Open:9-12 May 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (exhibition and workshop)
Metamorphosis – Exhibition of sculptor Gábor Kustár – Reformed Church of Debrecen Kálvin János Gallery (Kossuth Square 1)
Gábor Kustár’s sculptures use fragile materials like rotten wood and rusty iron, symbolising life’s transience and eternal nature. Old objects, once mementos of a bygone age, are reinterpreted and re-purposed, while remaining bound to their original use in their transfiguration.
Open: until 10 June, during the church’s opening hours until May 31, weekdays 9:00 am – 4:00 p.m., Saturdays 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Sundays 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
June 1-10: weekdays – 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Artists’ Tour – Get to know the artists of Debrecen and their work up close, where the works are created.
10 May 9:00 – 12:00 p.m. – studio visit at Eszter Láng (Piac Street 45)
11 May 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – studio visit at the Subicz-Palotai couple (Vármegyeháza Street 6/1)
12 May 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – studio visit at Zsuzsa Szász (Piac Street 58)
Source: https://modemart.hu/i-debrecen-art-week/