Születésnapi üzenetek és visszaemlékezések Klaniczay Júlia, az Artpool társalapítója 70. születésnapja alkalmából

Nina Czegledy

My growing interest in mail art and a variety of alternative art forms in the late seventies led to an invitation by Julia Klaniczay and György Galántai to their home in Buda.

On entering, I was amazed and deeply impressed by the quantity and superb quality of the various materials on the shelves, which (to my understanding) formed the very beginnings of the subsequent Artpool Archives, co-founded by Julia and Gyuri.

The elaborate, in-depth material also contained a political reminder for me as it became apparent that my curatorial comments on Central European art in that era reflected the truth: "Distinctly dissident under Communist rule, alternative art served as a barometer east of Vienna throughout the late seventies and eighties." *

Walking around the flat it was clearly evident that Julia and Gyuri worked closely on the archives of alternative arts, performances and continued these activities subsequently at Artpool.

After the opening of Artpool on my frequent work-visits to Budapest from my Toronto home base, I never missed Artpool events. Now it is challenging and even impossible for me to recall particular events from a distance of three/ four decades but Julia-s presence and erudite contribution on these occasions remains clear for me (and presumably to all) to this day.

Happy Birthday

Nina Czegledy
(2024)


* My curatorial comments for UNBLOCKED videos and films from East Europe, in Toronto 1991, and Insight Media Art from the Middle of Europe, Canada wide Touring exhibition, 1995.