pop&roll extends across a gallery, shop, and toilet
With vibrant hues and eclectic neo-pop art references, POP&ROLL invites passersby in Budapest to step inside an immersive art gallery and store that doubles as a public toilet. From the concept and function to the interiors and graphic design, each detail encapsulates the playful sensibilities of Miklós Kiss’ fine art works.
The walls, furnishings, and each of the 20 toilets serve as a canvas displaying nearly 100 of his artworks – bearing imagery inspired by the interiors of Budapest’s Eastern European spas and swimming pools and the pixel gaming world of the 80s and 90s. The distinct spatial experience is a public artwork in itself, an avant-garde approach to art exhibitions that ignites creativity in one of the most unexpected places.
all images by Daniel Herendi
miklós kiss crafts an avant-garde art experience
POP&ROLL extends across three distinct yet interconnected spaces: the Art Gallery, Art Shop, and the Art Toilet. Hungarian artist Miklós Kiss, has crafted each to offer a new, exciting, and accessible way to experience and engage with the world of contemporary art. The Toilet area is a multisensory immersion, animated with a curated composition of music and scent, with the melodies following the world of a fictitious video game traversing through a dungeon battle scene through to victory. In the Art Shop, a giant toy monkey sits as the focal point, its facial features spelling out ENJOY, and its arms and legs transformed into armchairs for visitors to rest.
Goldenroaches and Emograms, originally graphic visuals and NFTs by Kiss, are dotted throughout POP&ROLL. The figures’ faces are composed of letters of a word, expressing an emotion, thoughts, or purely reflecting on themselves. In the foreground, storage cabinets showcase the works as though they were artifacts in a museum.
Miklós Kiss creates POP&ROLL in the heart of Budapest
The entire interior is additionally permeated by the irony of life in the age of social media. Even the tongue-in-cheek title of the giant mouth painting welcoming visitors at the entrance alludes to this: GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY LIKE. Within, the walls are covered with likes.
‘How many likes will this space get?’ Miklós Kiss playfully questions. The space thus becomes part of this concept, its bold fusion of art, design, and utility inviting visitors to take out their phones, snap a photo, and share online.
the immersive experience extends across three distinct yet interconnected spaces: a gallery, shop, and toilet
inspired by the interiors of Budapest’s Eastern European spas and the pixel gaming world of the 80s and 90s
some toilet cubicles are already occupied, with signage stating: DO NOT DISTURB – Art is an Unwelcoming Society