Project Manager: Eszter Pasztor
Bodvalenke is a tiny village in the north of Hungary, sunk in dire poverty; almost 90% of the inhabitants are Roma. The villagers decided to break out of the poverty trap through art: they invited Roma painters to paint frescoes - murals on the walls of their houses. You can read about the project at
www.bodvalenke.eu.
So far, thirteen monumental murals have been completed. These works are truly monumental in scale; from 4m x 12m to 4m x 28m; but they are also monumental in their artistic value.
Some of the pictures deal with Roma legends and fairy tales; others, with contemporary issues, such as the flight of the Roma from Eastern Europe; Flying Angels, by János Horváth or the Ballad of Bodvalenke by Ferenc Kunhegyesi, or In Memoriam; the Victims of Kisléta, by Gábor Váradi, to honour the memory of the victims of the racially motivated serial murder of Roma people.
As soon as the weather permits, the painting work will resume, and this time we will be inviting Roma artists from all over Europe, to help us continue our unique open-air gallery dedicated to Roma art.