Located just steps away from Heroes’ Square and illuminated with the reflection of adjacent Vajdahunyad Castle, City Park Lake is ordinarily the site of lovers drifting about in rowboats and ducks paddling past, but throughout much of this month it also hosts the Art Moments Central European Visual Art Festival atop an 800-square-meter pier built specifically for this event. Surrounded by statues and City Park landmarks, this temporary floating gallery welcomes the public to admire works by contemporary artists from Hungary, neighboring nations, and many other countries from all corners of the globe.
With a goal of moving contemporary art away from enclosed viewing spaces and out into the open for widespread appreciation, the Art Moments Festival highlights paintings, statues, photography, and many other types of works by up-and-coming Magyar artists alongside their international peers. With the cooperation of the Abu Dhabi Art Hub, a special viewing space showcases pieces from Jordan, the Philippines, Iran, and beyond; Kuwait’s Contemporary Art Platform displays ink drawings, multimedia works, and live performances from artists of three continents; and Central European exhibitions include works by students from the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts and the University of Pécs.
Kicking off the aesthetic festivities this weekend, Magyar musician and artist Bori Rutkai performs a concert with her Specko Jedno band at 8pm on August 8; Budapest’s Museum of Fine Arts hosts workshops welcoming the public to create artworks that will float in the lake between 3pm and 6pm on August 9 and 10; and Hungary’s most esteemed father-and-son jazz duo – László Dés and András Dés – performs with other family members at 7pm on August 10. Other attractions include a design fair and a scavenger hunt, both held on the afternoon of August 10.
Admission to the Art Moments viewing space only costs 600 forints, and children under 12 enter for free, with opening hours being from noon to 10pm on weekdays and 10am to 10pm on weekends – check out www.artmoments.hu for complete information.
