Miklos Szoke Gabor Hungarian artist and sculptor Country: Hungary

Biography of Miklós Sóki Gábor

Miklós Sóki Gábor is an outstanding contemporary sculptor and artist from Hungary, who has gained the most recognition for his extraordinary, non-existent worlds inspired by a Hungarian Doberman named Dante. His project, "Dante Empire," belongs to Sóki's personal mythology, reflecting his majestic taste. Many of his creations within the project are made for the external world, including public sculptures, paintings, and unique furniture. All of his works are monumental, with a large portion taking the form of animals inhabiting different corners of the world. Gábor's artworks are an embodiment of his surroundings. His animal sculptures are made as totemic creatures with protective functions. Most of Gábor's creations are public, and his interaction with Dante the Doberman serves as a framework for his art projects, which can take various forms. His first presented project as a sculptor was "Dante Ritual," which was Sóki's diploma work. Gábor says, "All of my sculptures coexist on various levels. On the one hand, my characters are part of my personal backstory. On the other hand, the statues embodied in physical form engage in a dialogue with my surroundings." "In terms of form and content, my animals are living beings that harmonize with the wood used as the main material. Besides personal reasons, my work aims to evoke a reaction from the viewer. Monumentality accomplishes this goal, while wood is suitable for such scales." In 2016, for the first time in Russia, a foreign art figure was invited to create a sculpture for the ritual burning during Maslenitsa, which takes place in Gorky Park. Sóki received the invitation and reimagined Russian and Hungarian traditions with his project, "Greeting of Spring." The cold, dull, and wet winter was represented in the form of a den. Gábor incorporated elements of his old sculptures into the wooden installation, ritually burned during Maslenitsa to drive away winter and darkness. In the segment with the purifying fire, when the den itself is destroyed, the idea of rebirth, like a phoenix, is embodied. The fire sets free a new, strong animal. According to Hungarian traditions, winter ends when the bear leaves its hibernation den, so the symbol of burning winter became the "luring out" of the animal that brings spring. The bear created by Gábor, consisting of over a hundred steel elements, is a permanent resident of Gorky Park. The den, measuring 7 meters in height and 6 meters in width, was made by the Hungarian sculptor from pine wood.