In 1978 he moved away from his hitherto impersonal artistic approach, creating a mythology through the archaeological excavation of a non-existent ancient culture, the Growing City, and the exploration of its cultural history. In the course of his “excavations”, the artist, and his archaeologist alter-ego, brought into existence the literature, customs and cults of the City’s archaic society. He documented the results of the excavations in the form of installations, photographs and videos, and published the “deciphered” texts.
On this occasion the exhibition’s curator, Sándor Kardos, has selected statues, boxed works and pictures from the artist’s estate. The 1996 film Growing City, directed by Kardos and starring István B. Gellér himself, will also be viewable at the exhibition.