The Pedestal is a monument to ideological circulation, to criticism that persists under any circumstances, and to professional responsibility. To be installed on the ‘Nation’s Main Square’ (Nemzet Főtere), the sculpture is a scale replica of the pedestal from the previous Kossuth monument (by Zsigmond Kisfaludi Stróbl, 1952) and will be positioned near the current monument.

This piece places one of the most representative examples of the cultural-political transformations and social divisions of the last 16 years into a new context. Two—or rather, multiple—approaches to the politics of memory will coexist on the “Nation’s Main Square.” A space within a space. Two pedestals, one sculpture. Two systems, one politician. Two historical interpretations, one (shared) space.

Various activities will unfold around the 4-meter-tall pedestal. A door opens at the rear of the structure, allowing visitors to enter its interior. Other elements include surviving fragments of the original pedestal’s red sandstone cladding (from Balatonalmádi), a data visualization of the kitschy public statues commissioned by the Fidesz party, and an exploration of the erection, relocation, and removal of statues in Hungary since the regime change of 1989–90. All of this is preceded by a research project, in which the members of the Context (Kontextus) class—active in the spring of 2027—are also participating.