Attila Konnyu
PUBLICATIONS
These publications document Attila Konnyu's artistic research across painting, moving image, philosophy and cross-cultural dialogue. Together they form an evolving body of work exploring the concept of Universal Visual Language.
UNIVERSAL VISUAL LANGUAGE (2026)
Selected Works, Films and Essays
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Universal Visual Language explores painting not as representation but as a field of perception. Drawing on decades of artistic practice across Europe, the United States and China, Attila Konnyu proposes a visual language rooted in archetypal structures, Taoist philosophy and the shared cognitive foundations of human experience.
Rather than functioning as a conventional exhibition catalogue, the publication establishes the conceptual foundation of Konnyu's painting practice, examining the relationship between perception, gesture, time and consciousness. It presents painting not as a static image, but as an evolving mode of inquiry into the deeper structures of visual experience.
ISBN 978-615-83113-0-4
ISBN (pdf) 978-615-83113-1-1
THE THEORY OF UNIVERSAL VISUAL LANGUAGE
Theoretical Manuscript
Attila Konnyu
The Theory of Universal Visual Language presents an original theoretical framework for understanding visual experience as a universal language. Rather than defining a style, it explores the perceptual structures through which painting, moving image, performance and exhibition emerge as complementary manifestations of a single artistic system.
Overview
The Theory of Universal Visual Language proposes that beneath the diversity of artistic traditions lies a deeper visual order grounded in perception rather than representation. Conceived as a theoretical manuscript, it develops a coherent conceptual framework in which painting is understood not as the production of images, but as the construction of perceptual fields capable of revealing archetypal structures shared across cultures, histories and individual experience.
Extending beyond the boundaries of a single medium, the manuscript brings together painting, moving image, performance and spatial practice as complementary manifestations of one visual language. It offers not a closed doctrine, but an open theoretical framework through which visual experience may be reconsidered as a fundamental mode of human presence and understanding.
PALM BEACH (2026)
Art. Power. Destiny.
Palm Beach is the second volume of The Man Between Worlds, unfolding within one of America's most influential cultural and economic environments. Far more than a geographical setting, Palm Beach is presented as a landscape where political influence, global finance, philanthropy, collecting culture and the arts collectively shape the character of contemporary American society.
Within this environment, Attila Konnyu's journey evolves beyond autobiography. As his artistic career matures amid the realities of American cultural life, the book follows the gradual expansion of his creative vision through encounters with institutions, collectors, public figures and intellectual traditions. Rather than simply recounting personal experience, Palm Beach reveals the conditions under which an artist's worldview is transformed, laying the intellectual and cultural foundations for the artistic philosophy that would later culminate in Universal Visual Language.
ISBN 978-615-83113-4-2
ISBN (epub) 978-615-83113-3-9
THE MAN BETWEEN WORLDS (2026)
Power. Survival. Reinvention.
Autobiographical Novel
The Man Between Worlds follows the remarkable journey of a Hungarian-born artist from pre-democratic Hungary to the United States, tracing a life shaped by political transformation, personal resilience and an unwavering commitment to artistic independence.
Blending memoir with cultural observation and historical reality, the novel explores the formative experiences that shaped Attila Konnyu's worldview. More than a personal story, it offers a compelling account of survival, reinvention and the pursuit of creative freedom, revealing the foundations upon which an enduring artistic vision would later emerge.
ISBN 978-615-02-6582-7
ISBN (epub) 978-615-02-6583-4
Current Publishing Projects
The Man Between Worlds Trilogy
An ongoing three-volume literary series.
Volume I - The Man Between Worlds - Published
Volume II - Palm Beach - Published
Volume III - The Dragon Gate - In Preparation
Art & Theory
Universal Visual Language - Selected Works, Films and Essays - Published
The Theory of Universal Visual Language - In Production
The Philosophy of Manifestation - In Production
Manifestation - In Production
KONNYU 珂纽 (2018)
A Collection of Artworks, Cinematics and Essays
Gallery Erdesz & Design (HU) - Rainbow Press (USA)
Published in 2018 by Gallery Erdesz & Design (Hungary) in collaboration with Rainbow Press (USA), this volume presents a comprehensive overview of the artist’s interdisciplinary practice. The book brings together artworks, cinematic explorations, and critical essays that reflect the conceptual and visual framework of the artist’s work.
The publication documents a body of work that moves fluidly between visual art, filmic language, and philosophical reflection. Through images, texts, and archival material, the book offers insight into the artist’s ongoing investigation of perception, cultural memory, and the poetic dimension of contemporary art.
As both an artist’s book and a scholarly document, the volume situates the work within a broader international context and provides an important reference for curators, researchers, and readers interested in contemporary artistic practices.
ISBN 978-963-87961-4-1
EXHIBITION CATALOGUES
Selected Books and Catalogues
MEDITATION - JOURNEY AND RETURN
Retrospective Exhibition Catalogue
Yuelai Art Museum, Chongqing, China - 2023
Curated by Wang Yiumeng
Published on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition presented at Yuelai Art Museum in Chongqing in 2024.
The exhibition surveyed the artist’s practice across multiple decades, bringing together key works that trace an evolving investigation into perception, inner landscapes, and the relationship between memory and time.
The comprehensive catalogue includes curatorial essays, archival documentation, and reproductions of the exhibited works, forming an important scholarly reference for the artist’s practice.
INNOVATION IN ART (创新艺术展)
Balassi Institute - Hungarian Cultural Institute Beijing
Beijing, China - 2019
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Published in conjunction with the exhibition “Innovation in Art (创新艺术展)” presented at the Balassi Institute - Hungarian Cultural Institute in Beijing in 2019, this publication documents a selection of works exploring experimental and innovative directions within contemporary artistic practice.
The book reflects on artistic approaches that merge conceptual thinking, visual experimentation, and cross-cultural dialogue. Through essays, exhibition documentation, and reproductions of the works presented, the publication provides a record of the exhibition and the broader curatorial context in which it was developed.
As an exhibition publication, the volume contributes to the documentation of contemporary art exchange between Hungary and China and highlights the role of cultural institutions in fostering international artistic collaboration.
Publication Details
Title: Innovation in Art (创新艺术展)
Institution: Balassi Institute - Hungarian Cultural Institute Beijing
Location: Beijing, China
Year: 2019
Format: Exhibition Publication
MEDIA ARCHIVE
Film and Broadcast Media
Television Preview →
CCTV Documentary (2019)
A 30-minute documentary on the work of Attila Konnyu was produced and broadcast nationally by China Central Television (CCTV) in 2019.
The film examines the artist’s interdisciplinary practice across painting, film, and theatre through studio footage, exhibition documentation, archival material, and selected works.
The documentary also includes footage recorded in Miami and Palm Beach, documenting aspects of Konnyu’s artistic activities and exhibitions in the United States.
Broadcast nationally in China in September 2019, the film forms part of the broader media record of the artist’s international practice and cross-cultural engagement.