Staging Future Worlds: The Architectural Visions of László Rajk

New York production designers and art department members are invited to a guided tour with curators Andi Soós and Isi Litke exploring the exhibition of Hungarian architect, production designer and artist László Rajk (1949-2019).

László Rajk's artistic portfolio is full with striking and unconventional built architectural projects and more than 100 stage design and film sets as production designer and art director. He was the production designer of the Oscar, Golden Globe and Cannes Grand Prix winner "Son of Saul" (director: László Nemes) and Béla Tarr's "Man from London" and "The Turin Horse". Rajk worked as partner of Costa Gavras, John Irwin, Miklós Jancsó, Tony Gatlif, Fatih Akin and he was one of the art directors of Ridley Scott's movie "The Martian".

Rajk was a university professor, teaching film architecture at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest, giving master-classes and lectures worldwide at universities and art schools. For his artistic activities he received several awards and prizes including Art Directors Guild/USA, Hungarian Film Critics Awards, Kossuth Prize/Hungary, Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite/France, Solidarnosc Award/Poland.

Rajk's body of work constitutes a playful and poetic challenge to conventional understandings of the built environment and the boundaries of the architectural profession. Consisting principally of works on paper (competition entries, graphic design, architectural fantasies), maquettes, set designs, installations, and essays, Rajk’s oeuvre reflects both the professional consequences of his political activism as well as the aesthetic and theoretical sensibilities of the neo-avant-garde circles from which he emerged. Across genres and mediums, Rajk’s approach to space is striking for its historically-grounded eclecticism, its formal engagement with Russian constructivism, and its sensitivity to human interactions in the built environment.