Péter Nyári Sárkány’s Solo Painting Exhibition

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On 21 March, 2017, Péter Nyári Sárkány’s solo painting exhibition was opened at the European Youth Centre Budapest, as part of an event organized on the occasion of the United Nations’ Anti-Racism Day. This selection of 23 of his works, evoking a viewpoint at the crossings of multiple religious and cultural identities, is on view until 21 April.

Péter Nyári Sárkány, a Hungarian painter of Roma origin, was born into a Budapest family of musicians in 1951 and studied art in the Netherlands. Upon his return to Hungary, his approach to art was shaped by the local neo-avantgarde scene, with Béla Kondor, Miklós Erdély and János Baksa-Soós being his most important influences. His radical formal experiments are sometimes paired with rough, plastic painting surfaces – mixed with sand or plaster –, yet his topics are often not alien to the world of traditions. His works recurrently reflect on the three identities that have been crucial for him in different stages of his life, due to his connection to Roma traditions and to both Jewish and Christian religions. Besides his early paintings addressing the memory of the Holocaust, and his representations of angels, his recurring themes include musicians and tributes to outstanding Roma artists such as Márta Bada, Jolán Oláh or Tamás Péli. He has a tendency to paint on wooden boards, cardboard or to include “alien materials” – among them, glass – in his works; occasionally also thematizing multiple identities and intercultural dialogue through this hybrid usage of materials.

The opening of the exhibition was held as part of a program celebrating the United Nations’ Anti-Racism Day, organized by the campaign committee of the No Hate Speech Movement in Hungary, Hope for Children Hungary and Subjective Values Foundation, with the National Youth Council of Hungary as an associate partner.

The exhibition is on display until 21 April 2017 at the European Youth Centre Budapest (Budapest 1024, Zivatar u. 1-3., Ground Floor, Nordic Room), between 10am and 8pm every day.