“I have documents about it. I can prove it if necessary. The documents may be forgeries.” /Tibor Hajas/
László Follajtár (1950-1976) is one of those artists who have been almost completely forgotten by the history of the Hungarian neo-avant-garde. His oeuvre has never been published in its entirety, but has remained in the realm of legends, fragmentary memories, and incomplete documents.
The current Follajtár exhibition is not a simple presentation, but an attempt to revive the image of an almost forgotten career. Memories, incomplete archival materials, and artistic imagination serve as tools for this. Follajtár began his career in the Hungarian neo-avant-garde milieu, alongside artists such as Miklós Erdély, Károly Halász, Tibor Hajas, and Katalin Ladik. His work was characterized by experimentation, a critical attitude toward institutions, and a playful approach to the deliberate destruction of his own works.
His later works—such as the experimental film TÖRJÉTEK SZÉT A JÓZAN ÉSZ KORLÁTAIT (Break Down the Barriers of Common Sense), Elveszett bölcsesség (Lost Wisdom), and Dr. GKH, a lángész (Dr. GKH, the Genius)- were clearly born on the fringes of the neo-avant-garde. Some of them disappeared without a trace due to chance or his own decisions. His death in 1976, officially recorded as suicide, although the circumstances remain unclear to this day, completely erased his name from artistic memory.
Olga Kocsi and Ádám Schór have been researching Follajtár’s oeuvre for two decades. An old reference hidden in a footnote sparked the work, in which they attempt to redraw or recreate Follajtár’s career based on old cassettes, secret letters, family stories, and state security reports. The project was launched in 2024 at the Capa Center’s Capazine Let’s Roll workshop, where it had its first public presentation, and immediately became a finalist for the 2024 Kassák Prize.
Exhibition title: BREAK THE BOUNDARIES OF COMMON SENSE – László Follajtár retrospective and the Hungarian neo-avant-garde
Location: ISBN+ (Baross u. 42, 1085 Budapest)
Opening: August 29, 2025, 6-9 p.m.
Research artists: Olga Kocsi and Ádám Schór
Curator: Ágnes Keszegh
Accompanying programs:
Thursday, September 4, 6 p.m.
Guided tour by research artists Olga Kocsi and Ádám Schór, experts on Follajtár
September 14, 3 p.m.
Conversation with film critic Gábor Gelencsér and art historian József Mélyi
Finissage
September 23
Guided tour by Emese Mucsi, curator, Capa Center, workshop leader, Capazine