János Sugár


b. 1958 in Budapest. Attended Department of Sculpture of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Art, Budapest, between 1979 and 1984. Between 1980 and 1986, he was actively involved in the exhibitions and performances of INDIGO, an interdisciplinary art group, led by Miklós Erdély. János Sugár has participated in Hungarian and international exhibitions since 1980, as well as creating numerous performances, films and videos. Between 1990 and 1995, he was one of the board members of the Balázs Béla (Film) Studio (BBS) in Budapest. Since 1990, he has been teaching in the Intermedia Department of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts. In 1992, he exhibited at Documenta IX in Kassel. He completed an Artslink residency at the Clevelend Institute of Art in 1994.



Selected solo exhibitions
1985   Fényes Adolf Gallery, Budapest
1986   Studio Gallery, Budapest
1988   Institut Francais, Budapest
1989   Salone Villa Romana, Florence, Italy
1990   Budapest Gallery, Budapest
1991    Tûzoltó 72, Budapest
1992   Knoll Gallery, Budapest
1993   Galerie Knoll, Vienna
1996   Studio Gallery, Budapest
1997   Galerie Knoll, Vienna


Selected group exhibitions
1980-86   Eighteen exhibitions and happenings with the INDIGO group
1988   5th Biennial of European Graphic Art, Heidelberg, Germany
  Asian-European Art Biennial, Kemal Atatürk Centre, Ankara, Turkey
1989   A Different View: Experiments in Photography, Ernst Museum, Budapest
1990   8th International Triennial of Small Sculpture, Mucsarnok (Kunsthalle), Budapest (awarded the Grand Prize)
  Triumph the Uninhabitable, Charlottenborg, Copenhagen; Mucsarnok (Kunsthalle), Budapest
1991   Europaische Werkstatt, Recklinghausen, Germany
  Europa Unknown, Palac Sztuki, Kraków, Poland
  Oscillation, Šiesta Bašta, Komárno, Slovakia (CSSR); Mucsarnok (Kunsthalle), Budapest
  Sub Voce, Mucsarnok (Kunsthalle), Budapestest
  21st International Biennial, Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, São Paulo, Brazilest
  Trigon, 8x2 aus 7, Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz, Austria
1992   Revisions: Contemporary Hungarian Art, Adelaide Festival, Experimental Art Foundation, Adelaide, Australia
  Documenta IX, Kassel, Germany
1993   OSTranenie 93, Bauhaus Dessau, Germany
1994   The Four Musketeers, Gallery by Night, Studio Gallery, Budapest
1995   OSTranenie 95, Bauhaus Dessau, Germany
1996   The Butterfly Effect, Mucsarnok (Kunsthalle), Budapest
  Manifesta I, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
  Beyond Art, Ludwig Museum, Budapest
Gallery by Slide, Liget Gallery, Budapest
  Schwere-los, Oberösterreichisches Landesgalerie, Linz, Austria
1997   Súly-talan / Schwere-los, Ludwig Museum, Budapest


Performances

1984-88   Fast Culture, Kossuth Club, Budapest
1988   The Circle and the Dawn, New York Café, Kassel, Germany
1990   Videó - performances téléphoniques, Budapest - Albi, France
1992   Strecke durch Zeit, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin
  The Repression of Alchemy, Merlin Theatre, Budapest
1994   White Hole, Diáksziget (Student Island), Budapest
1995   The Logic Became House, Transart Communication Festival, Nové Zámky, Slovakia
  The Shortest Labyrinth, Perforium (International Performance Art Meeting), Budapest
1996   Ariadne Unemployed, Gallery KK im Fisch, Braunschweig, Germany


Film/video
1983   A hihetõség határán van a szándékosság ez a típusa (This Type of Intention is on the
  Border of Credibility) (7 min., 16mm b/w [standard copy 1989], BBS)
1985   Perzsa séta (Persian Walk) (50 min., 16mm colour [standard copy 1989], BBS)
1987   Pengõ (Tweedle) (with L. Révész, 5 min., 16mm colour, BBS)
  Fotex Faust (9 min., U-matic, BBS)
1988   Halhatatlan tettesek (The Immortal Culprits) (30 min., U-matic, BBS)
1991   Félreértések (Misunderstandings) (TV series, 5 x 28 min., FRIZ)
1992   Kamera a pácban (Camera in Trouble) (70 min., 16mm colour, BBS)
1993   Ambigous Window (17 min., 16mm b/w and colour, [standard copy 1996], BBS)
1994   Faust Again (110 min, 35mm b/w, BBS [in production])
1997   Ariadne Unemployed (13 min., video)


Selected publications (as author)
1987/3   A siker sebessége, Filmkultúra
1998/2   Gondolatolvasó, Újhold
1990/3   Kamera a pácban, 84-es kijárat
1994/1   Luca Mix, Magyar Napló
1995   Minusz pátosz, Balassi Publishing


Selected bibliography

  • Beszélgetés Sugár Jánossal, in: Gondolat-Jel, 1995/5
  • Beck, E., 'Hungary After the Soft Revolution,' in: ArtNews, 1991/3
  • Beke, László, catalogue text, 1986
  • Bora, Gábor, 'Konceptus és Kontextus,' in: Belvedere, 1990/6-7
  • György, Péter, 'A baloldali kritika,' in: Hiány, 199O/7
  • Hegyi, Lóránd, 'Tér-Objekt-Installáció,' in: Art, 1991/3
  • Kozma, György, 'Muszáj néha mentegetõzni,' in: Élet és irodalom, 1988/III.18
  • Kurdy, Fehér János, 'Az ki tervét felfedi,' in: Magyar Narancs, 1992/29
  • Peternák, Miklós, 'A felületek mint az elérhetetlen támaszai,' catalogue text, 199O
  • Tarantino, M., 'Sub Voce,' in: Artforum, 1991/12
  • Tímár, Katalin, 'Media Research,' in: Art, 1991/4
  • Topor, Tünde, 'Beszélgetés Sugár Jánossal,' in: Mûvészet, 1993/5
  • Torma, Tamás, 'Gyorskultúra,' in: Magyar Ifjúság, 1986/17
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    Earlier works

    1994   Concessions
      White Hole
    1995   The Moment before which it is not possible to speak about physics
    1996   Understanding and Obstacle
      The Furniture of Physics
    1997   School of Patience
      The Common Point between Small and Large

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