Gábor Kristóf has dedicated much of his attention to golf over the past four years. His interest in the sport is perhaps explained by the fact that his work has always been inspired by mechanical, sterile, controlled workflows and systems, and golf fits into this pattern. Taking place in an artificial natural environment, with a lot of rules, a dress code and a language of its own, albeit for most people it is supposed to be a hobby and a recreation, the sport seems to be anything but joyful pastime.
The absurdity is escalated by the fact that the worst enemy of the grass course, the outdoor environment in which golfers play, is nature itself – think of the weeds that spread in the wind, the birds that peck at the grass seeds, the moles that dig up the ground or all the various weather conditions. In addition to these contradictions, it is important to note that golf is the sport of the privileged; and as social inequality widens, the gap between golfers and non-golfers is also widening. Those who do not play golf are trapped outside the golf course, which is carefully enclosed by fences, bushes and walls, and they acquire their knowledge of golf by peeping through the gaps in the fence at best.
Anything that disrupts the strict order of a golf club would primarily upset the greenkeeper, the caretaker of the golf course’s turf of unfathomable sentimental value. And that is exactly what Gábor Kristóf does by bringing in a team of artists to make the greenkeeper’s nightmare (expressed in the title of the exhibition) come true. On the occasion of the exhibition, the artists are founding the Untitleist Anonim Antigolf Club, which will seek to interpret or critique golfers, golf, and the values it represents – by means ranging from subtle references to destruction. Apparently, though, in order to access the closed universe of golf as non-golfers, they will need a wormhole as a portal between the two worlds. Of course, this is just another theory so far, and it is not yet proven to work.
Contributing artists: Martin Chramosta, Fridvalszki Márk, Hoóz Anna, eden_jeneses, Legion (Borsos János, Ingatlan, Janky Máté, Kovács Máté, Lőrinc Lilla, Nozdroviczky Eszter), Petrányi Luca, AMBPA (Fischer Judit, Mécs Miklós, Vándor Csaba)