5 Perc Angol: Magyarország – Kolodko Mini Sculptures

Olvasd el ezt az angol nyelvű összefoglalót a Kolodko mini szobrokról, amelyeket Budapesten, Veszprémben és Tihanyban nézhetsz meg! 

Hidden Little Gems: Kolodko Mini Sculptures

If you are not aware that these mini sculptures exist all over Budapest, in Veszprém and Tihany you may not easily find them. They are so small that sometimes it requires real detective work and sharp eyes if you want to locate them. But it’s worth taking the effort because they are all unique and most of them have a story behind them.

The sculptor and his sculptures

Mihály Kolodko the artist behind the sculptures comes from Ukraine. He graduated from Lviv Academy of Arts as a sculptor. Like most sculptors, he intended to make big sculptures but was annoyed by the expenses and the long and hard bureaucratic process of getting a permit for the creation of a sculpture and opted for something different instead. His first small statues appeared in the streets of Uzhhorod then in 2017 he moved to Budapest and continued creating the small sculptures in Hungary. His art is called guerrilla art as the statues were placed in public spaces without official permission first. However, since then, some of the sculptures have already been created as commissioned art. The tiny statues have become so popular that some of them were even stolen several times and had to be replaced.

How the sculptures are made

The sculptures are first carved from modelling clay. Then a negative mould is made, followed by a plaster cast and another mould that is filled with liquid bronze. When the metal has cooled, it’s sanded, polished, and shaped until the artist gets the finished little sculpture. The statues are always designed for a special location as statue and location belong together. The sculptor has to see the statue in its surrounding right from the beginning of the creation process.

Sculptures with a twist

Mihály Kolodko creates his little gems funnily and playfully but there is always more to them than meets the eye. When people look at them, it is usually obvious what they see, but most sculptures have their own story behind them. If you want to reveal the real meaning behind the statues and know what they symbolize you need to be familiar with politics, history and old times in Hungary. As for their whereabouts they can appear anywhere and anytime so you’d better be on the watch-out if you don’t want to miss the newest one.

From Főkukac to Emperor Franz Joseph

The first-ever Kolodko mini sculpture in Budapest was Főkukac, a little worm from a well-known cartoon “A nagy ho-ho-ho horgász” (The Big Ho-Ho Angler). It is sitting on the banks of the Danube at Bem Quay 15 opposite the Parliament. The character was one of the artist’s favourites as he learned Hungarian watching this cartoon series on TV. Főkukac is a popular little statue. In winter it can usually be seen in a knitted scarf gifted to it by an admirer.

The latest addition to the Kolodko universe is the sculpture of Emperor Franz Joseph in a hammock that appeared on Liberty Bridge in May 2021. The bridge used to bear the Habsburg ruler’s name. It was Franz Joseph who hammered in the last rivet to complete the construction of the bridge. The hammock refers to people who took over the bridge to relax while it was closed to road traffic a few years ago.

Other iconic Kolodko works include:

– a dead squirrel outlined by chalk in Falk Miksa Street

– Kermit the frog from the Muppet Show near the Parliament at Liberty Square

– a tiny tank on Bem Quay symbolizing the 1956 revolution in Hungary

– composer Ferenc Liszt sitting on his suitcase outside Terminal 2A at the airport named in his honour

– Mekk Elek, the clumsy cartoon character handyman goat, at the foot of the stairs of Széll Kálmán Square near Buda Castle.

– Libido, the balloon dog, in homage to the scandalous artist Jeff Koons between the iron fence posts near Corso Restaurant at the Pest entrance of the Chain Bridge.

– Tivadar Herzl, journalist, writer and political activist, near Dohány Street Synagogue in the 7th district.

– Rubik’s Cube, Ernő Rubik’s world-famous invention, near Batthyány Square opposite the Parliament

– Diver with the key of the famous New York Café in his hands at the intersection of Dohány Street and Osvát Street. Legend has it that Hungarian author Ferenc Molnár tossed the café’s key into the river to prevent it from ever closing.

– Lunar Rover commemorating a famous Hungarian inventor Ferenc Pavlics who invented the lightweight but resilient wheels needed to traverse the Moon on the Lunar Rover in Hold (Moon) Street

– Rezső Seress, the composer of the infamous Hungarian ’suicide song’ Gloomy Sunday on the wall of the former Kispipa restaurant he used to frequent in the 7th district

– Kockásfülű nyúl (Checkered-Eared Rabbit) from another Hungarian cartoon near Sándor Palace, at the Buda Castle funicular

– Lisa Simpson, cartoon character, at Jászai Mari Square

– Hanna Szenes, Jewish war hero, in the 7th district

– the 14-carat car from a Jenő Rejtő book at Hevesi Sándor Square at the beginning of Rejtő Jenő Street, in front of Pesti Magyar Theatre

– Noah’s Ark at Bethlen Gábor Square. If you wait till the sun hits the right spot you’ll be able to see a rainbow symbolising God’s promise recreated in the ark’s beautiful multicoloured windows.

– Brexit, symbolized by Mr Bean’s beloved Teddy on the wall of the former British Embassy at Harmincad Street

– Süsü, the dragon, a puppet show character, and Gyula Bodrogi his voice-over actor at Szabadság Square, at the side of the old building of the Hungarian Television

– Leonóra and the lion, Ernő the guard, and Ödön the musician in Veszprém

– Gombóc Artúr the chubby chocolate-loving bird in Tihany

Let the treasure hunt begin! Visit every single one of them if you can. We guarantee that it will be a very special experience indeed.