On the Other Side of the Intermediate State: The Art of Tibor Hajas and the Tibetan Mysteries​

On the Other Side of the Intermediate State is one of a series of exhibitions at the Hopp Museum exploring the influence of Asian cultures on Hungarian artists and intellectuals in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This exhibition presents works by Tibor Hajas (1946–1980), a poet and artist whose life was tragically cut short, focusing on the last period of his career, which was influenced by the book by Béla Hamvas, entitled the Tibetan Mysteries, and defined by aspects of Tibetan Buddhism. The main figures in our exhibition, separated sometimes by thousands of kilometres and hundreds of years, are connected by two Tibetan “mysteries”: tummo – the practice of generating “inner heat”, associated with the name of Milarepa, a Tibetan poet and yogi from the eleventh and twelfth centuries; and chö – the practice of “severing” one’s attachment to one’s own body and ego. The exhibition is not recommended for people under 18 years of age. Certain sections feature sound and visual effects that some visitors may find disturbing.

Curator: Béla Kelényi, Tibetologist
Assistant curator: József Végh, Tibetologist