Today, the artist from Székely keeps horses and works in the woods and fields alongside his creations.

The exhibitions of artist Éltes Barna from Sepsiszentgyörgy can be seen all over Europe, the artist from Trieste was awarded 8 important prizes, including the main prize of the International Stone Sculptor Biennale in 2004. He completed his studies in Budapest - where, seeing his talent, he was offered his own exhibition hall on Rózsadom - and then continued in Paris, but today he lives, works and creates in a small settlement in Székely, because he believes that people should return to their roots.

"After traveling the world", he took his experiences home and settled with his family in Feldoboly in Kovászna county, so that he could mix his artistic self-expression with the ancient knowledge, the land, and the faith he had inherited from his ancestors.

And when he is not creating - although he is convinced that an artist comes up with ideas almost all day long, because art is the formation of his own life - then Székely walks the fields and forests with his horses. He works diligently with his hands, does not shy away from the peasant way of life, and together with his wife, he also raises his children in this creed.

Although Éltes Barna's name is known both abroad and at home, and his art is unique, his personality really influenced us during our visit to the Székely National Museum, even though he was not present, we could only admire his permanent exhibition. The Hajlék exhibition, which displays houses and gates and evokes a feeling of home, was made from the old objects and parts of the Székely gate of the renovated museum. The creator, who shaped the replaced shingles and furniture, took over a century of past in his hands, confirming in the visitor that "the past is, it exists, and there is no such thing as it was". We looked for the artist over the phone, who willingly answered our questions, philosophized honestly and in an understandable way about life issues, tasks, and missions.

The desired foal that brought the well-known creator home from abroad

"I was walking down the street in Budapest, when a memory from my childhood struck me sharply: I have always loved horses, and my uncle promised me a foal as a present during a horse ride if I stayed home. I was already a university student when I felt that I needed my horse, i.e. I wanted to go home. But I really understood the message of all this when I settled in the village and bought my first foal. It was the colt that my uncle promised me, metaphorical as it may be, I felt that it was a symbol of staying at home."

- ushered in the defining moment of his life.

His longing for his roots developed in him as a result of the upbringing of his family members, especially his grandparents. In her childhood, she spent a lot of time with her paternal grandmother, who was a simple seamstress.

"He grew up in the castle of Baron Farkas Bánffy of Semmer, next to the baroness Mariska Ujvárossy, because my great-grandfather was the farm officer in the manor. The Baroness painted regularly and talked a lot about the arts to my grandmother, who was still a child. My grandmother read and explained a lot to me about different painters and sculptors from the time I was in kindergarten."

- explained Éltes Barna, who was started on the path of art by these experiences, as the old woman carefully showed her the works of Van Gogh or Leonardo Da Vinci.

The entire article can be read on the Maszol.ro portal!

Featured image: Photos: Éltes Barna's personal archive/Maszol