Kotsis Nagy Margit
Central European University, Budapest Exhibition Hall
Opening speech
Contact: Nador utca 9, Budapest 1051
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Opening Speech
OPENING SPEECH BY ESZTER KOTSIS 17 November 1999
Dear President and Rector, Pro-Rector, Executive-Vice President, Distinguished
Guests, Faculty, Staff and Students,
Some of you would ask why I am the person who opens this exhibition. I am the daughter of the sculptor Margit Kotsis Nagy. I am a creation of her just like all statues and plackets you see here. Furthermore, most of you have known me for quite some time now, that is why I would like to give you my interpretation. The third factor is that I have also been able to follow the creation process on a daily basis. I would like to summarize in a few words the career of Margit
Kotsis Nagy.
Those of you who have attended Margit Kotsis Nagy exhibitions in the past, always received something new. But I would like to say something totally new. During the interval of two exhibitions, her art revives. Most of her time is spent in experimenting. She searches for new materials and new ways of expressing herself. Since her last exhibition, she has discovered a totally new material: PAPER. Originally, she planned that she would have sculptures and plackets made of bronze and terracotta in this exhibition. You will find 5 bronze sculptures in this exhibition: four figurative pieces and one non-figurative work. The bronze sculptures are produced by using the CIEL PERDUE TECHNIQUE (wax-bronze-technique). This technique consists of more than ten steps. After creating the iron framing, the sculpture is built / modeled of clay. With the terracotta form, the negative calcium sulfate form is molded and afterwards the positive calcium sulfate form. The positive calcium sulfate form is the basis for the silicon-form. Hot wax is poured into the silicon-form. The positive wax form is used to create the negative form made of sand, fire-clay, and calcium sulfate. Bronze (1200 degrees Celsius) is poured into this form. When the sculpture is ready, it is polished. After discovering the PAPER, she started to work on a totally new conception. The paper is an indispensable material in our life. In our days, it is produced by machines and it has lost its originality. It has taken a long time to find a paper mill where she can experiment
with this new material. Finally, only a few months ago, she found the BUDAI
PAPÍR MANUFAKTURA in Budapest. Laszlo Lendvai and Sandor Bifkovits
have been great support in the realization of her ideas.
Before I summarize how the paper is molded, I would like to introduce the 12 plackets behind me. These 12 plackets portray the message. They are also the base for all the other works. As On the opposite wall, you can see the positive bronze plackets. The negative bronze plackets cannot be seen in this exhibition, but you can see them in the molded paper pictures located next to the door. Different paper substances are mixed with paper glue and a large quantity of water in a big cistern. A sieve is molded into the cistern. The bronze placket is crushed into the wet paper and it is taken to the drying room. With the bronze negative plackets, the positive molded paper is created. Several calcium sulfate experiments have been used for the creation of the paper reliefs. All frames have been selected to accentuate the natural beauty of raw paper. I would like to thank the President and Rector, Professor Jehuda Elkana; the Pro-Rector, Professor Stefan Messmann, the Executive Vice President Istaván Teplán for the opportunity to organise an exhibition at the Central European University, Judit Radics from the Student Welfare Office for the technical support, Diana Szabo from the Public Affairs and Development Office for designing the posters and the invitations, and all other staff of CEU for their assistance with the exhibition. I would especially like to thank Laszlo Lendvai and Sandor Bifkovits from the Budai Papír Manifaktura for their professional help. I now officially open this exhibition.
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