The exhibition titled "A Hungarian Prince in Istanbul: Contemporary Encounters with Ferenc Rakoczi II" is being held at Taksim Sanat Gallery on Oct. 14-20 in collaboration with the Hungarian Cultural Center. The exhibition, which was previously displayed in several countries, offers a beautiful selection of artwork in its Istanbul edition.
The Hungarian government declared 2019 the Rakoczi Memorial Year, to mark the 315th anniversary of his election as the prince of Transylvania, located in today's Romania. After his unsuccessful struggle for Hungarian
freedom against the Austrian army, Rakoczi II took refuge in the Ottoman Empire, spending the rest of his life in exile in Tekirdağ, today in northwestern Turkey. Passing away in the Ottoman lands, the Hungarian prince was buried in the chapel of the Saint Benoit French High School in Istanbul. The prince laid the foundations of the modern Hungarian nation, and the exhibition focuses on the theme of the prince's devotion to his homeland.
Spotlighting Prince Rakoczi, the “A Hungarian Prince in Istanbul” exhibition features pieces aiming to recreate the motto “Cum Deo Pro Patria et Libertate” ("For the Homeland and Freedom with God's Help"), which Rakoczi drew strength from while carrying the flag of the Battle for Freedom, with contemporary approaches and messages, avoiding simple abstraction and futile illustration.
As part of the exhibition, the Istanbul Hungarian Culture Center has also launched a project aimed at introducing the Hungarian prince, a symbolic figure of the historical rapprochement between the Turkish and Hungarian nations, with contemporary approaches. The center also shot an animated film that combines Turkish shadow play Karagöz and the Hungarian animation tradition. The film can be watched as part of the exhibition.
