Zsolt Hlinka, the artist of our gallery has recently released his first book, which gathers various photo series shot in the capital city: introducing one of his favorite topics – symmetry – through a number of known and less-known spots. Due to this great event, we have highlighted four of our favorite pieces from the volume, with some interesting pieces of information about them. Get to know Budapest with us!

AUDITORIUM

The series captures the beautiful theaters of Budapest. The subject was an obvious one, as these interiors represent high quality and elegancy both in their material usage and in their detailing, and most of them are designed by renowned architects, so they are almost “artworks” by themselves. The highlighted picture, for example, shows the hall of the Opera House, in which the architectural and decorative elements of Miklós Ybl are still in their original states. These photographs were preceded by several-month-long consultation and organizational discussions, since it is not an easy task to find a timeframe when these spaces are empty and ready for photography.

URBAN SYMMETRY

Looking at one of the most famous series of our gallery, visitors often try to guess where the pictured buildings are located. Well, we have the answer: nowhere! At least not in their pictured forms: the details of the houses were digitally manipulated and mirrored, so we could almost say that the photographer has created new buildings by using existing real-life elements.

PARLIAMENT INSIDE

An unavoidable stop of Budapest’s symmetry tour is the Parliament: the neo-gothic building designed by Imre Steindl has no detail which doesn’t look exceptional on a photograph. And although the building is now considered a national jewel, back in its design and implementation phases the opinions were divided: many people found its styling to be distant from the Hungarian culture, and its interior was called ostentatious and overdetailed by contemporary artists.

UNDERGROUND SYMMETRY

You might like or dislike the unique stations of Metro 4, but one thing is for certain: they are sure to leave a mark on everyone. Two stops of this metro network – which might remind some of the version in Vienna – are award winning buildings: the Fővám Square and Szent Gellér Tér stations are both developed by Spora Architects, who received the Architizer A+ award for these works.

Inspiration!

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