The other shore — Franyo Aatoth exhibition opened at REÖK Szeged
Franyo Aatoth at the exhibition opening at REÖK Szeged on Aug. 11, 2023. Photo: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
Nearly 90 works of Franyo Aatoth, a Hungarian-born contemporary artist living in France and Thailand, are on display at the REÖK All-arts Center in Szeged. The exhibition, which was realized with the help of the Várfok Gallery in Budapest, was opened at REÖK on Friday, August 11.
Franyo's career started at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris with the help of Victor Vasarely. After his years in Paris, he traveled to several countries and integrated the multitude of experiences gained along the way into his artistic work, with the biggest impacts coming from his travels to Mongolia and his second home, Thailand. Franyo's work has been exhibited in various places around Europe, North America, and Asia.
At the opening, the guests of the exhibition were greeted by László Barnák, Director General of the National Theater in Szeged. The curator of the exhibition, Róbert Nátyi, said that no other exhibition had been organized in the Reök Palace for such a long time. They started planning it in 2018 with the idea that it would become a lifework exhibition within a year, but it failed due to the epidemic and was postponed — at that time, none of the organizers thought that it would eventually become reality in the summer of 2023.
"In three years, so many new works were created in Paris and Thailand that we let go of our plan to present an oeuvre exhibition that would go back forty years..." said Róbert Nátyi.
Next to working and living in Paris, Franyo has installed a workshop in the forest near Hua Hin in Thailand. "In this new environment, I was unable to continue the work I had started in the civilized world, so these jungle pictures were born," shared the renowned artist.
The exhibition titled The other shore is displayed on both levels of the REÖK All-arts Center and can be visited until September 24, 2023.
Photos: Szilvia Molnar / Szegedify
