Szurcsik József

Four decades of early paintings, the panopticum graphics of the post‑system change era and freshly created works.

József Szurcsik, Kossuth and Munkácsy Mihály award‑winning visual artist, graphic artist and painter, performer, musician, former vice‑rector of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, a docent of the Department of Graphics and former chair, was born in a family of artists in 1959. He is a creator of a distinctive, instantly recognisable world in Hungarian contemporary visual art. His career began in the late socialist period and the years around the systemic change. This period is not merely a historical backdrop in Szurcsik’s work: a recurring question in his oeuvre is the relationship between the individual, the environment and power.

The emblematic motif of his works is the consistently profiled, faceless human face, devoid of distinguishing features – and through this anonymity it becomes universally applicable. This metamorphic half‑profile, however, does not exist solely on its own; it can appear hidden within a landscape, arranged in rows beside one another, organised into uniform structures, or combined with monumental architectural forms or various geometric shapes. This concentrated, stilised element in the profile allows him to examine the constantly changing, re‑arranging relationships between the individual, the environment, and power always as an open and universal question, even without representing specific bodies.

It also captures the concepts of alienation, isolation and timelessness with its own distinctive artistic techniques. Toward the end of the nineties – perhaps in connection with the loss of hope linked to the political transition – Szurcsik retreats into the realm of immutable myths. The solidity and defence of ancient Greek culture are akin to any wall, or to the artist’s two‑faceted wall; it protects and pushes back at the same time, while, as a motif, it evokes a myriad of associations.

The diversity of the artist’s body of work is well illustrated by the richness of the techniques and genres employed. In addition to repeated graphic works and oil‑acrylic pieces produced with a specialised, antiqued, tamped technique, small-scale sculptures, painted tool sculptures, colourful paper installations and welded metal sculptures also find a place. Since 1985 he has been exhibiting, his works have appeared in numerous international venues from Sofía to Helsinki to New York, and his first exhibition was staged at the Godot Gallery in 1999. His most recent show opened in early October in Hódmezővásárhely, at the Tornyai János Museum, which is the display of the report of the winner of the 2025 Hódmezővásárhely Autumn Exhibition. His works are represented in many public collections, including the Hungarian National Gallery, the Janus Pannonius Museum in Pécs, the National Gallery in Prague, and the Contemporary Hungarian Gallery in Dunaszerdahely.

At the opening exhibition of Szurcsik József, the artist, graphic designer and painter will present work in a special medium. The painter’s earliest paintings, which first appeared in the studio in 40 and have never yet been shown in an exhibition, along with his curious geometrical and surreal compositions, will be presented to the public, together with the vibrant and exciting creations of the budding artist. We can also encounter the graphics from his early period, the figures drawn with the ruthless irony of the so‑called “system‑changing panopticon”, and compare them with his most recent, freshly produced works.

The exhibition can be viewed until December 19, Monday to Friday 10 and 14, on Saturday between 10 and 13 o’clock.