A GATHERING of 19 art professionals from the Visegrad countries at the Kráľ (Rimavská Sobota District)-Bánrévé border crossing between Slovakia and Hungary culminated on August 1 with a public presentation that demonstrated a great interest in the unconventional perception of borders, factual as well as abstract, through the eyes of young artists.
Within the project, entitled “hranica[border]-határ”, the organiser, civic association ART-EKO, used the abandoned premises of a former customs house to stage an interactive multimedia performance with an installation which was created by mingling various types of artistic expression. Each group used a different creative material to express its main theme.
As well as the art installation at the border, there were also five other stages. On the first, artists made a short documentary about the whole project. They also made a camera obscura that visitors could use. On the second stage statues were placed, embodying escape. The Polish artists who created the work perceived the border as something separating their worlds. Actresses performed a parody of customs officers. Graphic artists painted pictures directly onto the floor, which was divided by a real border.
“I perceive border as a transition from death to eternal life, i.e. from darkness to light,” said painter Jozef Tóth from Buzica, near Košice.
The other artists were enthusiastic about the project and liked the result. Visiting members of the public also appreciated the project – about one thousand people came to see the works at the border.
