2022.01.29.

 

My exhibition series connected to the „great stamp semester” started on Saturday January 29 in Luton. Instead of writing about the opening event myself I cite the article written by Londoner Veronika R.Hahn published in the February 1 issue of Hungarian daily Nepszava:

 

“New Life for Stamps"

 

The event to open Judit Czimer-Szendrei’s exhibition of her 44 pictures painted by stamps was a cosy, intimate one on Saturday in Luton’s Stockwood Discovery Centre. The only unluckiness was that the artist contracted the virus before so she could not leave Debrecen, Hungary. She was replaced by her great supporter Jozsef Czimer who knows her works very well and who organizes her exhibitions as well.  Jozsef told to Nepszava that Judit started the activity of grouping, sorting stamps and making pictures in the year of 2015. She was looking for an activity to be pursued together with her daughter Zsofi having Down syndrome. This search resulted in making pictures. Originally, she glued used stamps on cartoon and later on board. The artist calls her features “a bit of mosaic, a bit of collage and a bit of montage”. These three words form the phrase MoCoMo characterizing best her style. Szendrei was present with her works in the Flower Festival in Debrecen, in the Stefania Palace in Budapest, in Pecs and also in other points of the world like London, Gouda in the Netherlands or the Hungatrian Academy in Rome. Her pictures are part of collections like the Antal-Lusztig Collection and other public buildings.

 

Some pictures of the Luton exhibition devote also special attention. Among those is Queen of the Rosary which she handed over personally to Pope Francis in Vatican. The artist likes very much art herself thus she figured great artists and musicians on her pictures. The collection brought to Luton figures Picasso, the Hungarian artist Bela Czobel like Frida Kahlo and van Gogh, whose self-portrait will be exhibited this week in Courtauld Gallery London. Having finished her picture presenting a Hungarian folk song by the means of stamps she discovered that this song was sung by Freddie Mercury on their concert in Budapest. Her other picture title Beatles on four wheels might bring special joy to British visitors presenting the four beatle on four wheels.

 

Leaving her self-isolation the artist will come to Luton soon to make workshops for disabled youngsters in Luton. The stamp-tree closing the walk on the exhibition is already a great success. Here every visitor can glue stamps using the stock provided by the organizers to the stamp-tree making a joint Luton stamp picture.”    

           

I would like to express my gratitude to the staff of Culture Trust Luton for their help, their ideas and for the arrangement of this nice exhibition and also to the List Institute, Cultural Centre London for their support!

 

You can vew several pictures made on the event here: