ABOUT THE TOTEM
The Totem expresses the spiritual relationship between animals and humans.
The artist was inspired by the most important spiritually totemic animal in the Hungarians’ origin myth, the Miracle Stag, which he depicts in the act of roaring. Its nine-branched antlers symbolize renewal and rebirth, stretching skywards and meeting the rays of the sun.
The sculpture also forms a gateway welcoming visitors as they pass through it when entering the World Exhibition site. By entering the throat of the roaring stag they become “one with nature”; in this way the artist expresses the power of nature and its close relationship with humanity.
The Totem is a sculpture of imposing dimensions, made from more than 10 tonnes of fallen antlers, collected by Hungarian foresters over a two-year period.
It is 15 metres high, 20 metres long and 22 metres wide. The antlers are supported on a stainless-steel frame, with the combined total weight coming to more than 30 tonnes.
The antlers come from all over the country, and are from red, fallow and roe deer – their variety reflecting Hungary’s rich forest wildlife.
The intertwining of the antlers also symbolizes national solidarity, incorporating the contributions of the many individuals who made this monumental work of art possible.
The antlers were all shed naturally, and so no animal had to be shot in order to acquire any of them.
After the World Exhibition The Totem will occupy its final place in nature, to live on as a permanent public sculpture in the company of ancient trees in the park of the Hunting Museum in Keszthely, where it can be viewed all year round.
