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Boredom a More Appropriate Theme for This Year's Budapest Giant Poster Exhibition
In last year's review of the @®© Giant Poster Exhibition at 56-osok tere, I wrote of how the exhibition was straying further and further from its roots. Originally showcasing primarily humorous posters, those were few and far between this year, (the event runs through September 16th), as corporate sponsorship and a lack of humor overtook a once decidedly anti-corporate event, and the overriding theme for the posters of "What is Happiness?" might as well have been changed to "How Do You Exhibit Boredom?"
Above is one of the many Nokia sponsored posters, which while I'm guessing meant to show the fun of late nights, invariably shows how cameras on Nokia phones can't take even a half-decent photograph outside of optimal lighting conditions, something I'm all aware of with my own phone. Additionally, the overriding theme of "happiness" was found on most posters, but really seemed to stifle the creativity of previous years' exhibits.
This year, the biting political messages were also missing. While undoubtedly the extent to which society is divided may have played a role in this decision, and to avoid the usual accusations of a leftward bias, this year only one poster of a more political nature was actually humorous, unlike in years past when that was regularly the case. The poster above, a play on the "Szózat" by Mihály Vörösmarty written in the 19th century, changed the words to "They lie unwaveringly..." an obvious reference to Hungary's politicians.
There were also the expected snarky comments about how China will produce everything, including "Free Tibet" t-shirts that invariably came off as fairly unimaginative, given all of the previous years' "Made in China"-themed gags, including one of an EU flag.
Continuing with the "happiness" theme, there was one of a collage made from Hungarian paper money, and a letter in which the designer "gives up" the first place prize to the second place finisher, saying happiness is found when you make others happy.
Another ironic poster featured a picture of a metro train in rush hour where smiles could not be found, while another one featured a man in his twenties saying "Despite your best attempts, I'm the unhappiest," as well as an out-of-place advertisement for the Budapest 2020 Olympic bid, suggesting that a successful bid would be happiness. Well, if not for the city's citizens, then certainly for developers.
The more sombre image above was of two children, stating that those who know the answer to the question "What is happiness?" do not even understand the question.
Despite its crudeness, the above poster was the only one this year to get an honest chuckle out of me.
In a sense, that was the problem with this year's exhibition: a giant poster exhibit, known for its humor and running with the theme of "What is Happiness?" left me completely underwhelmed. As much as last year's wasn't as fun as in years past, it was still decidedly better than this year's. Even two years ago, the way to find the funny posters was to follow the laughter.
While I doubt Hungarians have become less creative, it appears the selection committee, in their quest to organize and brand a theme onto the event has lost the playful anarchy of the original exhibits, which seriously left you with a sore face after laughing so much, along with the occasional biting social commentary piece.
The giant inflatable sign at the entrance exclaimed: "Happiness! Find it at the post exhibit!" You're better off searching for it somewhere else.
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COMMENT!i was actually quite pissed at the fact that not only were the sponsors' posters hidden throughout the exhibition, they were also unimaginative and most weren't even tailored to the happiness theme. if you pull off such a stunt as to display advertising as art (which it sometimes is) at least make sure they conform to that rather broad, but nonetheless important requirement...
this was my first visit to this annual event, and i have to agree...other than a few notable exeptions (including the last one mentioned in the article) the exhibition is indeed underwhelming.
"if you pull off such a stunt as to display advertising as art"
...to clarify...i meant the REAL advertising billboards...as in the sponsors: Nokia, Sláger Rádió, etc...
'its' for 'it's
'in years' past' for 'in year's past'
to name but a few howlers here.
DIYuntil you die, I hope that your self-appointed position as Grammar Nazi and subsequent highlighting of a few of my typos has allowed you to find what the billboard exhibit claimed to be about: happiness. Incidentally, your correction for one of my mistakes is itself incorrect, but thanks for reading!
DIYuntil you die.
I agree with Zoltán - you should know your grammar before you correct other people. You're embarrassing yourself.
I first saw the ARC exhibition two years ago. Many of the posters were indeed very satirical and pocked a lot of fun at the powers that be (anyone remember the Gyürcsány as Jurassic Park one, or the 'this way, that way, which way?'). Went to look at this years exhibition last night and all I have to say is 'sell outs' and 'taking the big corporate cock in the ass'. I know artists don't make much money, but all this corporate sponsorship money will not get to the artists, just the organizers. Who have now shown their true, money loving selves this year. Another nail in BP's cultural coffin :(
totally agree with zoltan and demagogue....this years exhibition was notable only for how many corporate billboards there were. didn't add em' up, but i'm willing to guess that corporate billboards + the organizational ones (there was an area for other non-profits to promote themselves) outnumber the actual entries. the last two years were decidedly better...shame to see what was once a creative grassroots explosion become a advertising farce. now...DIYuntil you die....where's my misplaced apostrophe?
@matty - I found your apostrophe! It was covered in misplaced righteous indignation! Pointing out a mistake makes a bloke a Nazi? But I see you corrected them. Thank YOU for reading and taking the comment gracefully.
DIY...die,
I don't believe anyone called you a Nazi but a GrammerNazi. As a young boy, Adolf Hitler had a dream: a dream of a world free of the stain of dangling participles and the mongrel menace of misplaced modifiers. It was a good dream...
As stated previously, Grammar Nazi is a term given to one who incessantly corrects the spelling/grammar/usage of others. While the label is certainly an apt one, it is rarely, if ever, effective in its intended role as a sort of mini-invocation of Godwin's Law, because true Grammar Nazis, like their Teutonic forebears, have absolutely no qualms about their dedication to their fascist cause and their obsession with purity and order. "If the proper use of 'who' and 'whom' makes me a Nazi," thinks the Grammar Nazi, "then it is a fair price to pay for the cause—and if a few half-assed constructions and poorly structured interrogatives need to die in the gas chambers for that same cause, then so be it, for it is a good cause."
Ironically enough, the epithet is all too often rendered "Grammer Nazi" by its oblivious user, further fueling the fires of the devotee of linguistic purity so labeled.
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