Gabor Miklos Szoke is one of the most popular contemporary artists in Europe, sculptor and public figure. His artworks are mainly public animal sculptures, which can be easily recognized by his expressive “lathstyle” and their enormous scale. He is a world-record holder: two of his sculptures, the Horse of Samorin Hippo Arena and the FTC Eagle are the biggest artworks of their kind in the world. As opposed to traditional, figurative public marble and bronze sculptures, Gábor Miklós Szőke uses stainless steel and hardwood for his public artworks as part of his modern aesthetic. His sculptures have a profound influence on the identity of the surrounding architectural environment, the works themselves becoming emblematic symbols of the local culture. Due to the durability of stainless steel and hardwood these artworks are designed to be enjoyed by many generations to come. Szoke’s creatures are inspired by nature, power and the dynamism of animals, by monsters and demons such as Goya’s and Bosch’ creatures. These artworks are extremely powerful; due to their depiction of the subject and their gigantic size, they trigger an instantaneous reaction in the visitors. The art of Gabor Miklos Szoke is very diverse. In addition to his public sculptures, he paints and designs custom-made furniture and art objects. His aesthetic is defined by his imaginary world, the Dante Empire, which was inspired by his Doberman. Lord Dante has exquisite imperial taste. In his world, baroque grandeur and the strict functionality of industrialism can be found side by side. The FTC Eagle is currently the biggest bird representation in Europe. The well-received piece was selected on many art and design blogs as the best creative product of 2014. The artwork is made of nearly 3000 stainless-steel plates, it was constructed over a period of 7 months and 8 engineers perfected the static plans, finally the 16-meter-wide wing-spread bird was erected. This is not only the biggest but also the first stainless steel sculpture created by Gábor Miklós Szőke. The equine statute is one of the greatest permanent public artwork by the artist, currently the biggest horse in the world. The dynamism and power of the monument is achieved through thousands of individually welded, shard-like stainless steel plates that form a 8,3-meter-high, 14,6-meter-long, 20-ton galloping horse tilted at a 10-degree angle. The artwork is situated by the main entrance of the most modern riding center in Europe.The equine statute is the greatest permanent public artwork of the artist, currently the biggest horse in the world. The dynamism and power of the monument is achieved through thousands of individually welded, shard-like stainless steel plates, that form a 8,3-meter-high, 14,6-meter-long, 20 ton galloping horse tilted at a 10-degree angle. He was also commissioned by the Atlanta Falcons to make something one of a kind. In a stadium with numerous state-of-the-art features, this needed to make a statement. “I have always liked to spark a reaction,” Szőke says, “It is a special honor for me that I was asked to do this.” And spark he made, one he calls “the biggest” of his career. This dirty bird is made up of over 1,000 pieces of stainless steel, adorned with two polished eyes. It clutches a 13-foot football made of bronze. “Rise Up” — the team’s motto — begins to take on a whole new meaning. Working in conjunction with the Savannah College of Art and Design, it took more than a year to construct, and it had to be built in parts. Szőke and his team of over 200 people built sections of four pieces in Budapest, and had the sections shipped for assembly in Atlanta. The artist graduated in 2010 from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts. Despite his young age he is a prominent artist of the contemporary sculpture scene. He has already received numerous national and international awards. He studied in Milan for half a year at the Accademia di belle Arti di Brera in the framework of a scholarship programme. He has taken part in group and also in individual exhibitions since his university years. His works are present in public and private collections and contemporary galleries. He often participates in social awareness projects as well. He is mostly known for his giant artworks displayed at busy public squares in Washington DC, The Royal Palace of Bahrain, Gstaad, Milan, Rome, Munich, Vienna, Moscow, Nizny Novgorod, Zagreb, Samorin, Oradea, Budapest and many other cities worldwide. The art and style of Gabor Miklos Szoke became a part of the curriculum at many universities. Text via http://gabormiklosszoke.com Cover photo: Márk Viszlay via http://gabormiklosszoke.com