The title of the latest solo exhibition of Igor and Ivan Buharov, i.e. Kornél Szilágyi and Nándor Hevesi, at acb Plus, is a quote from Ottó Tolnai’s poem of the same title, which, in the light of the artists’ position as a couple that has matured over thirty years, indicates a self-deprecating and self-critical attitude. In this, the need to take up the space between understanding and not understanding is expressed, which at the same time outlines an anarchistic, anti-metodic artistic practice. The conscious pushing of the boundaries of interpretation is not only the driving force behind their creative method, but also its result: a process that constantly challenges traditional expectations and rejects the narrow confines of genre classification.
For thirty years, the Buharov brothers have been following their own path along the radical avant-garde and neo-avant-garde traditions, in close contact with the Dadaist, Surrealist and anarchist artistic trends of Eastern Europe. Their work is characterised by a conscious departure from genre constraints, often employing playful means of absurdity, deconstruction and subversion. Their artistic stance is at once an attempt to interpret the world and a constant rethinking of form, process and meaning. The very act and medium of creation – be it feature film, experimental cinema, video, painting, graphics, installation or performance – is for them a radical questioning of artistic conventions and cultural norms.
The jubilee exhibition at acb Plus is a celebration not only of the artistic language of the Buharovs, but also of the absurdist philosophy that has consistently characterised their work. The exhibition offers a selection of the pair’s seminal earlier works, as well as their most recent creations, including lightboxes, paintings, prints, deconstructed furniture and videos. Together, the works on display thus draw out the concept of “Buharovism” – a conceptual and performative framework that is in constant flux, never static, and constantly questioning its own principles, as it is never faithful to a fixed foundation, in the spirit of Lajos Kassák, but always to the performative-nomadic gesture of its foundation.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of events. Through various guided tours, performances and retrospective screenings, the artists will redefine the boundaries between art and audience, artist and recipient. Taking place not only within the walls of the acb Gallery but beyond, the anniversary will not only be a nostalgic celebration of 30 years of Buharovism, but also a living demonstration of how the duo are challenging the artistic status quo in the present.
In the spirit of the motto I don’t understand it all today, the exhibition is an invitation to immerse oneself in the absurdity and complexity of Buharovism – a celebration of the unknown, the unclassifiable and the creative power of creative chaos, the values that define the entire oeuvre of the artist couple.