“Border age” refers to a period marking a complex transition process between eras that have gained stability based on their own order as well as a transition that forms a bridge between the past, which is considered to be outdated, and the future, with a gesture of moving forward. Intense periods of this kind are also present in the lives of humans – often sanctified by symbolic events – where they provide an opportunity to sum up achievements and set new goals. The exhibition Border Age celebrates the 70th birthdays of two artists from Debrecen, visual artist Zoltán Fátyol and graphic artist István Tamus, by bringing together works from the advanced stages of their careers.
Tamus and Fátyol have experienced significant historical, political, economic, cultural and technological changes over the past decades, but their distinct visual worlds reflect these changes with varying intensity. Tamus’s multiplied prints, up until recently, have usually dealt with the representation of reality, and his objects often recall places, events and characters in the artist’s life. Fátyol’s paintings, collages and assemblages, on the other hand, have argued for decades for the self-legitimized existence of art and its detachability from time and space, pointing towards an alternative model of reality.
As indicated by the stylistic solutions, symbols and allusions in the artworks and the references in the works’ titles, both artists’ artistic activities have unfolded in the spirit of continuity of tradition with a great emphasis on the transfer of knowledge. They have been involved in visual education in Debrecen and have been organisers of cultural life in the region for almost half a century. Fátyol has been the director of the Vámospércs Artists’ Colony and Graphic Workshop since its foundation in 1991, and István Tamus has been the artistic director of the Hajdú-Bihar Graphic Artists’ Colony in Derecske since its foundation in 1996. Tamus also established the Ajtósi Dürer Association of Graphic Artists (GADE) in 2000 and is still active as president of the association. The exhibited images not only evoke the spaces and landscapes occupied during the creative work in the artist’s camp, but also sometimes the artists themselves and their everyday lives.
This exhibition of major local artists at MODEM is not intended to be a complete overview of their oeuvres, but it aims to provide insight into the dominant themes, motifs and technical experiments that have defined the careers of these two artists, who have different temperaments. István Tamus, best known for his vibrant prints inspired largely by the Christian faith, biblical stories, places of local relevance, places visited during travel and specific life situations, and Zoltán Fátyol, who experiments with different materials and creates a self-expressive private mythology in dialogue with archaic expressions, will celebrate their 70th birthdays in 2023 and 2024, respectively. This exhibition is not only a retrospection, but also a milestone, anticipating future possibilities by presenting the artists’ most recent works.