The project revolves around the concept of \u2018the art of talk\u2019; that is, talk as a form of art. The art of talk is not widely known and practiced form of art in Hungary. The early traces of this genre mainly appear in the works of the artists of the Hungarian neo avant-garde. Working in illegality, artists of the movement turned to this genre frequently, structuring their work around street performances, radio performances or readings in private homes.\u00a0<\/span> The artists performing at such events, which took place in various locations, all organised their works around texts. This time however, the focus will be put on talk as a spoken type of text, as well as on the method of performing or the performative performance, which requires personal presence. The literary adaptations and the personal stories, which often serve as a basis of the pieces, are linked together by the cultural-political context, by the common cultural memory as well as by the selected \u2018talking\u2019 genres and the types of performance including radio plays, operas, readings and monodramas.<\/span><\/p>\n Curators: Eszter L\u00e1z\u00e1r and Edina Nagy<\/span><\/p>\n Supported by: Austrian Cultural Forum, Budapest, Federal Chancellery of Austria, Wiener Festwochen, Asylum Arts<\/span><\/p>\n Contributors: Hanna Sztripszky, the students of Alternative Secondary School of Economics<\/span><\/p>\n The Alfred Palestra workshop and performance was first heldstaged at the 2014 Rennes Biennale, performed by the students of a local lyceum. At the end of the 19th century, a school in Rennes (today Lyc\u00e9e \u00c9mile Zola) was the site of two important events in cultural history: the second Dreyfus trial was held in the gymnasium of the school Alfred Jarry was attending. The possible encounter of Alfred Jarry and Alfred Dreyfus in that particular space symbolises the concurrence of the crisis of the republic and the birth of the avant\u00adgarde movement. It is this symbolic coincidence that is the topic of the project.<\/p>\n The project was carried out with the co\u00adoperation of a drama group of secondary school students, who rehearse regularly in the gym where the trial was held. During the workshop, the artists and the students engaged in interpreting extracts of literary texts from two parallel literary canons. One of the canons consists of Alfred Dreyfus\u2019s books that he read during his exile on Devil\u2019s Island between 1895 and 1898; while the second one is made up of Jarry\u2019s library; that is, a library consisting of 27 equal books appearing in Exploits and Opinions of Dr. Faustroll, Pataphysician.<\/p>\n This method of \u2018reading together\u2019 became an alternative method of interpreting the art and culture of the age in question. The costumes and symbolic, moving wooden objects, created for the performance and the workshop, also function as an installation.<\/p>\n At the OFF Biennale, Alfred Palestra is, adapted to the Hungarian environment, is staged at the Alternative Secondary School of Economics (Alternat\u00edv K\u00f6zgazdas\u00e1gi Gimn\u00e1zium) in Budapest, as part of an event entitled When art(ist) speaks<\/em>. Performers are former and current students of the school. Alfred Palestra<\/em> is an alternative teaching method developed by artists that enables students to learn about one of the crucial events of Western history through close co\u00adoperation and mutual help. This method offers an alternative to the traditional teaching methods that focus on conventional learning and memorising. Therefore, besides its primary goal, the project also aims to challenge the current centralised educational model in Hungary.<\/p>\n Venue: Alternative Secondary School of Economics (1035 Budapest, Budapest, Rakt\u00e1r u. 1.)<\/span><\/p>\n Supported by Alternative Secondary School of Economics<\/span>, Igor Metropol<\/p>\n The projekt was originally commisioned by Les Atelier de Rennes \u00ad Play Time\u2019 (curated by Zo\u00eb Gray).<\/p>\n Photo: \u00a9 OFF-Biennale Budapest archive<\/p><\/div>\n Photo: https:\/\/www.lenecuratorscollab.org\/project\/off-biennale<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In his performance Freudmann traces stories from a family archive founded in 1979 by his grandmother. He links contents of the archive with historical events and current political issues by means of documentary and object theatre. Against a background of the increasing absence of contemporary witnesses, Freudmann brings documents and objects as protagonists on the stage in order to consult them about the eternal dilemma of whether to speak or to be silent about the Shoah.<\/span><\/p>\n Venue: Budapest, Szabads\u00e1g t\u00e9r<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.eduardfreudmann.com\/?btx_portfolio=white-elephant-archive<\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/freudmann.tumblr.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n Photo: Zolt\u00e1n Kerekes \u00a9 OFF-Biennale Budapest archive<\/p><\/div>\n Photo: Zolt\u00e1n Kerekes \u00a9 OFF-Biennale Budapest archive<\/p><\/div>\n Concept, script and staging: Hajnal N\u00e9meth<\/span><\/p>\n Composer: D\u00f3ra Halas<\/span><\/p>\n Choir: Sohar\u00f3za<\/span><\/p>\n Soloist: Andrea Csereklyei (soprano), Korn\u00e9l Mikecz Korn\u00e9l (barytone)<\/span><\/p>\n Curated by: Eszter L\u00e1z\u00e1r, Edina Nagy<\/span><\/p>\n
\nBesides being the tool of artistic self expression, talk is presented as a clear statement, which emphasises the role of contemporary arts, also concerned with certain socio-cultural areas, in creating discourses, as well as its role in taking part in those discourses.<\/span><\/p>\nTehnica Schweiz & Katarina \u0160evi\u0107: <\/strong>The Alfred Palestra workshop and performance<\/em><\/h2>\n
April 29, 2015<\/h3>\n
\nIn the Budapest version, the play that originally had a number of references to Rennes has been transformed to carry a more general content. The new performance focuses on certain aspects of the play that are also currently topical in Hungary: the key issue addressed by the workshop was how the avant\u00adgarde experiments that had just emerged could respond to the crisis of the republic and to the deeper crisis of society in general in France in 1898.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/offbiennale.hu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/01_AP_051-590x393.jpg\" "\\"Photo:")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/offbiennale.hu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/H16A9384.png\" "\\"Photo:")
<\/a>Eduard Freudmann: <\/span><\/strong>The White Elephant Archive, Setting No. 3<\/em><\/h2>\n
April 30, 2015<\/h3>\n
Living Memorial discussion with the artist<\/strong><\/h3>\n
May 1, 2015<\/span><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/a>Hajnal N\u00e9meth:<\/strong> The Loser<\/em><\/h2>\n
May 20, 2015<\/h3>\n