Szekciók
József Szőke’s Outdoor Retrospective Exhibition, Soul Stones, will be on view from June 19 to September 14, 2025, in the Neo-Renaissance Garden of the Castle Garden Bazaar.The exhibition, realized in collaboration between Castle Garden Bazaar and the Pap Stone Carving Company, showcases over fifty bronze and marble sculptures. The display explores themes of the soul and of the universe.
At Castle Garden Bazaar, visitors can now enjoy not only the YBL6 Art Space and the ramp leading to the Gloriette, but also the Neo-Renaissance Garden as a site of valuable artistic experience. Last year’s exhibition in the garden—which reimagined elements of Hungarian folk art through sculptural garments—was a great success. Its popularity inspired us to once again spotlight the art of sculpture. We are pleased to host nearly fifty public artworks by sculptor József Szőke.
For the first time, bronze and marble sculptures will be installed at various points throughout the Neo-Renaissance Garden. Organizers hope this unique exhibition will bring contemporary Hungarian sculpture closer to both domestic and international audiences, revealing its beauty and artistic richness.
A key role in the collaboration was played by Lajos Pap, head of the Pap Stone Carving Company, and his family, who supported the realization of the exhibition with their expertise in stone carving and sculpture.
József Szőke’s sculptures are made from bronze, African marble, and Carrara marble. His nonfigurative, mythical creations represent relationships, spiritual events, nature, supernatural forces, and the cosmos. Some pieces also commemorate the life’s work of major historical figures, such as Nobel Prize-winning physicist Eugene Wigner and the great explorer Marco Polo.
József Szőke, a sculptor of Transylvanian origin, graduated from the University of Art and Design in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca). He spent much of his active artistic career in Hungary after the regime change in Romania, and later in the United Kingdom and Northern Italy. He is a member of the Association of Hungarian Sculptors. Alongside his strong Hungarian identity, he is a worthy representative of the classical branch of 20th and 21st-century fine art. His works have been exhibited in both solo and group shows in England, the Netherlands, Austria, and Italy.
Visitors can access detailed descriptions of selected works in the Neo-Renaissance Garden via QR codes.
Curator of the exhibition: András G. Fülöp, art writer
Exhibiting artist: József Szőke