A Fabric of Eternal Forces - the retrospective exhibition of visual artist Zsuzsa Péreli

Péreli’s work is marked by a relaxed painterliness and a richness of thought. The centrepiece of the exhibition is a work woven between 2010 and 2011: with its refined forms and complex symbolism, Axis Mundi is a work of summary, an embodiment of Péreli’s artistic credo. The pillar of the world (axis mundi), the supporting structure of the universe that connects the world of man with the spiritual sphere, can take the form of a column, mountain or pillar of smoke, but is most commonly represented as a tree of life.

The tapestry called Aequilibrium (2000–2001) is another one of those works in the oeuvre whose concerns are life and death, eternal recurrence and renewal, the primordial truths of spirituality. Its monumental winged angel suggests a balance between terrestrial and celestial, material and ethereal spheres, the same way as the tree of Axis Mundi.

In addition to major works, the Tihany exhibit presents photos of the process of tapestry weaving, documents, and a biographical film, to introduce visitors to the colourful, unique world of Zsuzsa Péreli’s art, which often pushes the envelope of the genre. The works of Zsuzsa Péreli, who is credited with breathing a new life into Hungarian tapestry, are held in eight Hungarian museums, and several private collections in the country and abroad. The Tihany display is her seventieth solo exhibition. She weaves all her works with her own hands, in her studio in the Danube Bend.