BUDAPEST: Drawing inspiration from enigmatic British artist Banksy, a sculptor of tiny bronze statues has gained a cult following in the Hungarian capital Budapest by placing his quirky works around the city for the public to discover. “I look for places which are a little hidden but still easy to find if you know where to look,“ Mihaly Kolodko, 41, said in his workshop in Vac, north of Budapest.
“I never tell anyone in advance where I have put them,” he said. While his statues don’t have the biting satire of Banksy’s work, they have been provoking debates and nostalgia.
Many of Kolodko’s works depict 1970s and 1980s Hungarian cartoon figures. Since moving to Hungary in 2016 he has peppered Budapest with over 20 cast metal sculptures measuring just 10-15cm tall.
A cheeky talking worm is sat on a rampart on the river Danube opposite the Hungarian parliament. A flying rabbit with oversized chequered ears looks down on the city from a perch near Buda castle. More cryptic pieces include a Marcel Duchamps-style pissoir, and a mysteriously murdered squirrel.
Kolodko doesn’t ask for permission from the authorities to install his metal miniatures, fuelling his reputation as a “guerilla” sculptor, a tag he shrugs off. “I just follow my feelings. If I had to spend time and money asking for permits I’d lose the urge to make art,” he said.
Thousands of Kolodko devotees are running a Facebook fan page, swapping tips on hunting the statues and debating the meaning of the more abstract works.
“These are the statues of our 30 to 40-something generation,” says Szilvia Liptai, who organises regular “Kolodko tours” for runners. “He triggers our childhood memories,” she said, as runners took selfies beside the talking worm.
“Banksy inspired me to use the language of sculpture the way he does for painting,” Kolodko said. “I don’t mean to be provocative,” Kolodko said. “Some people just look at things differently. After the statues go public they take on a life of their own, I say goodbye to them.” Three of his pieces have been removed or stolen so far.
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