When you think of district seven, you picture ruin pubs, tourists, and the Dohány Street Synagogue. Yet, these are only the things you see at first sight. In one of Király Utca’s side-streets, you can find the PRINTA. One of my favourite cafés in Budapest, it features excellent coffee you can drink while enjoying the great collection of prints, fashion and design objects. Out of curiosity, I wanted to get to know the people behind the PRINTA and was surprised to find one member to be a CEU alumna.From Brazil to Budapest
Although Claudia Martins had already established a successful international career in photography in Brazil and the USA, she decided to move to Budapest in 2005 to live together with her future husband. She continued working as a photographer and met the former head of the CEU Gender Studies department at one of the exhibitions she participated in. After seeing Claudia’s photos, Professor Allaine Cerwonka recommended her to enroll in the Gender Studies MA program to expose herself to the theoretical debates Claudia was already expressing in her art. Speaking of the two years at CEU, Claudia is full of enthusiasm both for the things she learned and the experiences she had as she became pregnant with her son and met her future Serbian PRINTA partner Zita Majaros, a graphic designer.
A gallery, a screen-print workshop, a design shop and a café
Both wanted to start something new and create a unique place of their own in Budapest. Zita infected Claudia with her enthusiasm for screen printing and both flung themselves into the various preparations for their new store. The café which was not part of their original plan was added during the renovation process. Today, Claudia and Zita are constantly on the lookout when it comes to new artists they invite to exhibit their works in the small gallery space. Naturally, they are also often approached with proposals. For the future, Claudia and Zita are working on a couple of projects next to PRINTA. The idea is to establish a branch abroad and start collaborative street art projects with Swiss and Brazilian artists as well as other art studios. PRINTA’s Pest
Finally, when I ask her ask her to point out one of her favorite pieces in the store, Claudia shows me the “PRINTA’s Pest”, a graphically beautiful map of the 7th district. The idea for the map sprung from the staff’s observation that many of the people that showed up at PRINTA asked for tips on similar alternative hang-outs in Pest. Thus, the PRINTA team collected recommendations for sights to see, spots to hang and bars to drink at and eventually produced the foldable map that fits in your purse or back pocket. A lengthy process, as Claudia relates, because most suggestions were hotly debated as the “next thing” or already “passé”. Hence, if you are in the mood for a quick break from the CEU hassle or on the lookout for a great Budapest gift, I recommend a walk to the PRINTA.
Location:
Rumbach Sebestyén u. 10, 1075 Budapest (15 min walk from CEU) Mo - Fri: 11 am to 7 pm; Sat: 12 am to 6 pm
www.printa.hu
Current Exhibition:
Norbert Nagy “Stories of a Horse Rider”
“City graphic designer meets fresh air. Series of limited edition silkscreen prints on the theme of horses, nature, countryside romantics and wine inspired by a special atmosphere of Etyek wine area.” (PRINTA, 2013)
Julia Michalsky, Germany
History Department
P. S.:
Apropos 7th District—Do Not Miss the Chance to Visit the Beautiful 100 years old (and even older) buildings of the Downtown!
You can do so for free on April 6th and 7th in the framework of an open air event. For details check: www.budapest100.hu
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