ATTILA KONNYU 珂纽
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
English and Chinese bilingual edition
DIGITAL REVIEW COPIES
Selected publications on Attila Konnyu’s artistic practice and philosophy are available as digital review copies upon request.
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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 (EPUB) 978-615-83113-1-1
THE MANIFESTATION TRILOGY
Three Volumes on the Origin, Perception, and Responsibility of Art
I. The Philosophy of Manifestation
II. The Theory of Universal Visual Language
III. Manifestation
The Manifestation Trilogy brings together three interconnected volumes developed from more than four decades of artistic practice across Europe, the United States, and China.
Rather than proposing a closed aesthetic doctrine, the trilogy examines art as a living process: from the emergence of the work, through its capacity to create a shared field of perception, to the ethical and cultural responsibilities that arise when it enters the world.
Together, the three books form a continuous philosophical inquiry into the origin, communication, and presence of art.
I
THE PHILOSOPHY OF MANIFESTATION
Art as the Invisible Made Perceptible
How does a work of art come into being?
The Philosophy of Manifestation examines how a work of art comes into being. Drawing on Attila Konnyu’s meditation-based practice, the book considers the relationship between inner attention, gesture, energy, material resistance, and the emergence of form.
The work of art is approached not as the execution of a predetermined image, but as an event in which perception, material, and artistic presence gradually converge.
ISBN 978-615-83113-6-6
ISBN (EPUB) 978-615-83113-7-3
II
THE THEORY OF UNIVERSAL VISUAL LANGUAGE
Art as a Shared Field of Perception
How can a work of art create connection?
The Theory of Universal Visual Language investigates how art can create connection across individual and cultural differences. It examines the shared foundations of visual perception, archetypal form, material presence, time, and the active role of the viewer.
The universal is presented not as a fixed code or uniform style, but as the possibility of a shared perceptual field in which different histories and experiences can genuinely meet.
ISBN 978-615-83113-8-0
ISBN (EPUB) 978-615-83113-9-7
III
MANIFESTATION
When the Work Enters the Shared World
What happens when a work of art enters the world?
Manifestation follows the work of art beyond the moment of its creation and into the shared world of viewers, cultures, institutions, and public attention. The book considers the ethics of the image, the viewer’s time, cultural mediation, technology, artificial intelligence, and the changing responsibilities of the artist.
Artistic responsibility is understood not as a limitation of freedom, but as the care, precision, and openness through which a work can become a meaningful presence in the world.
ISBN 978-615-83171-0-8
ISBN (EPUB) 978-615-83171-1-5
Emergence. Connection. Responsibility.
The three volumes are not repetitions of a single idea, but successive stages of one artistic philosophy: the work comes into being, creates a field of connection, and assumes a presence within the shared world.
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 -2024
Curated by Wang Jiumeng
Published on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition presented at Yuelai Art Museum in Chongqing in 2023 - 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
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL BOOKS
The Man Between Worlds Trilogy
An autobiographical literary trilogy exploring the intersections of art, history, identity and cultural transformation across Europe, the United States and China.
The Man Between Worlds
Palm Beach
The Dragon Gate
PROFESSIONAL & MEDIA REQUESTS
Digital copies of The Man Between Worlds Trilogy are available for professional, editorial and media enquiries.
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.
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
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.