Beyond Borders (Art Gallery of Ontario, 1991)

BEYOND BORDERS # DISTANCE from the political establishment was an essential feature in the life of Hungarian artists, especially those involved in experimental art. For over four decades, attempts to evade officialdom took various routes from underground liter­ature through performance art to experimental lilms. With its financial and techni­cal accessibility and its freedom from a constricting and defining history, video-a universal medium-offered a unique open-ended opportunity of exploration. As an art form, video globally transformed both television and the art world in the last three decades. Video art arrived late to Hungary, but after a brief infancy in the early 1980s, the growth of independent Hungarian video production has accelerated rapidly. Today, in the newly established university video departments, artists of international reputation educate the future video generation. Thematically, a strong conceptual influence prevails, some of it due to limited technology. Sources of inspiration are frequently found beyond the realm of film or documentation-in fine art, performance art or sculpture - which mirror the visual art background of many artists working simultaneously in visual art and video. Sociological critique and the social power of television are less intriguing topics to Hungarian artists than they are to Americans. Discourse of theoretical concerns, preoccupations with aesthetics or personal iden­tity are far more frequently explored themes. The scope of subjects extends to visual poems, computer animation and music-related video, representing work in various forms and a wide range of styles. There are several interrelated goals for this exhibition. Our principal aim is to give a comprehensive introduction and an extensive if incomplete view of the range, quality and diversity of experimental videos produced in the late 1980s by Hungarian artists. The program has been selected on the basis of several criteria. First of all, it was considered important that video production from a wide variety of backgrounds should be represented. Secondly, an emphasis was put on the selection of new works. Finally to facilitate accessibility to Canadian audiences, an attempt was made to include as many non-language-based tapes as possible. Assorted programs of Hungarian video art have been shown in many European and international festivals; however, this exhibition offers the most comprehensive selection ever compiled for a North American audience. • Nina Czegledy Toronto, May 1991 Nina Czegledy is an independent video curator.

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