Csontváry – In the Language of Photons

Join CODE’s latest all-sensory digital art journey, which transforms the life and art of Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka, one of Hungary’s most celebrated painters, into a unique immersive experience.

Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka (1853–1919) is arguably the best known and most loved Hungarian painter. Through the omnipresent reproductions of his work, his paintings have become etched into the Hungarian collective consciousness, and his iconic works consistently top every art-world 'best of' list. Yet, in his own time, he was often dismissed as a dreamer or madman. It took over fifty years after his death for the wider public to recognise him as a genius and a towering figure in modern Hungarian art. His popularity has only grown since, yet his life and relatively modest oeuvre of fewer than 150 works remain shrouded in mystery. Throughout his brief career, he was obsessively in search of 'sunway painting' – unique effects of light – in other words, the language of photons. Now, Csontváry’s artworks are brought to life not on canvas but through an extraordinary audiovisual journey, expressed in the language of light, through the motion of photons, with a distinctive visual and soundscape, throughout the various spaces of CODE.

In the Experience Corridor, a spectacular multimedia exhibition presents the important stages of Csontváry’s life – from childhood, through his years as a pharmacist, to his transformation into a visionary painter. Through animated images, interactive effects and an art history analysis, you will discover how a pharmacist became a visionary artist, how his worldview and inner universe developed and how the Csontváry myth was shaped after his death.

In this space, you can enter a floating, abstract universe where the metamorphosis of Csontváry's colours, the power of his waterfalls and the lights in his skies become audiovisual poetry. Thanks to a full-scale, three-dimensional contemporary artwork, sound installation and moving light forms that fill the space, you’re not just a spectator – you become part of his art.

In the 400-square-metre Hexagon space, a 20-minute, 360-degree immersive projection with spatial sound awaits you, bringing Csontváry’s visions to life. Drawing on the artist’s autobiography and major works, the show takes you on a five-chapter journey from Selmecbánya (Banska Stiavnica) to Baalbek, from the quiet of the Carpathians to the cedars of Lebanon. The paintings surround you; colours, lights and sounds tell stories. Masterpieces such as View of Selmecbánya (Banska Stiavnica) or The Lonely Cedar come alive before your eyes.