1980-1991

Infermental, founded in 1980 by Gábor Bódy and Vera Baksa-Soós, was the first international videocassette magazine, connecting global audiences and showcasing video art from around the world. After Bódy’s death in 1985, Baksa-Soós continued the project, which functioned as a precursor to platforms like YouTube, as noted by Hungarian art historian László Beke. By creating an early network for media art exchange, Infermental paved the way for the circulation of digital art and global collaboration in the decades that followed.

1983

In 1983, during a time when Hungary’s borders were largely closed and telephone conversations were monitored by authorities, Artpool organized its first international telecommunication event, Telephone Concert. Initiated by János Vető and realized in the apartment of Artpool founders György Galántai and Júlia Klaniczay, the event connected artists from Hungary, Austria, and Germany, including Robert X Adrian, Helmut J. Mark, and Rainald Schumacher. The telephone line, amplified to broadcast live sound, enabled simultaneous performances across borders, despite the limitations of poor audio quality. With contributions from around forty Hungarian artists and additional participants from Vienna and Berlin, the four-hour event not only pioneered creative telecommunications but also symbolized a utopian vision of artistic dialogue between East and West amid political restrictions.

1985

The Soros Foundation Fine Arts Documentation Center was established in Hungary in 1985 as part of a broader effort by the Soros Foundation to support contemporary art and cultural initiatives in the region. The center aimed to document, archive, and promote fine arts, offering resources and fostering a network for artists, researchers, and art professionals. Operating under the late socialist regime, the Center provided a unique platform for artistic expression and access to international art trends, which were often restricted under state-controlled cultural policies. In 1991, the Documentation Center evolved into the Soros Center for Contemporary Art (SCCA), expanding its mission to actively support contemporary art and early Internet Culture through grants, exhibitions, and international collaborations.

1990

The Media Research Foundation, officially established in 1990, emerged from a collective of experts in art, media, and technology, including Gábor Bora, András Böröcz, Miklós Peternák, László Révész, János Sugár, and Katalin Timár. Dedicated to exploring the impact of new technology on society and the arts, the foundation has actively promoted both theoretical and practical applications of media technologies. Its work spans art exhibitions, the founding of the Intermedia Department at the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, and international collaborations. Key initiatives include landmark events such as The Media Were With Us (1990), analyzing television’s role in the Romanian revolution, and the MetaForum conferences (1994–1996), which brought global media theorists and artists to Hungary, fostering discourse on multimedia and network communication. The foundation has partnered with institutions like the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts, Béla Balázs Film Studio, and the Goethe Institute, organizing events, symposiums, and projects that bridge the global and Hungarian media art scenes.

1990

The COCOM-list (Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls) was an international embargo established during the Cold War to restrict the export of advanced technologies and strategic goods to socialist countries, including Hungary. Valid in Hungary until 1990, it limited access to computing equipment, telecommunications, and other high-tech tools, significantly impacting the country’s technological development and innovation. The restrictions were lifted following the end of the Cold War and Hungary’s transition to a market economy, opening the door to modernization and integration into global technological networks.

1992

In 1992, at the dawn of the internet age, Artpool hosted the Decentralized World-Wide Networker Congress Budapest Session, part of an international program series initiated by Swiss mail artists H.R. Fricker and Günther Ruch. The event embodied the ethos of decentralized communication, anticipating the expanded possibilities of electronic networks. Artists from 86 locations participated in collaborative fax-based visual projects, exploring the creative potential of copy art and networked communication technologies. The event culminated in the Artpool Faxzine and an exhibition, showcasing works that reflected on the evolving nature of global artistic networks, and electronic technology as a medium between international partners.

1993

In 1993, the same year the World Wide Web became public domain, Artpool organized Danube Connection, an Electronic Communication Happening, commemorating the 1983 Telephone Concert. Once again collaborating with Robert X Adrian, who was then curating his two-year international network project ZEROnet, the event linked Artpool in Budapest with Freihaus-Kunstlabor in Vienna via early computer networks known as Bulletin Board Systems (BBS). Best known for his pioneering telecommunication project ‘The World in 24 Hours‘ for Ars Electronica in 1982, Adrian facilitated this interactive event, which also included a call for international artists to respond to the question, “Why Communicate?” Their answers became part of the project’s creative discourse. By digitally connecting two cities along the Danube, Danube Connection symbolized a shift in political realities, highlighting Artpool’s newfound ability to openly collaborate with Western institutions following its reestablishment as a legal research institute.

1993

The first Hungarian website, http://www.bme.hu, was launched by the Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME). It was created as part of the university’s effort to integrate into the rapidly evolving global digital landscape. Beyond serving as an informational portal for the university, it also featured the ‘Magyar Honlap’ (Home Page Hungary), a dedicated page showcasing a map of Hungary and a curated list of websites created in the country at the time.

1994-1996

The MetaForum conference series was a pioneering three-year initiative organized by Geert Lovink, Diana McCarty and János Sugár, in collaboration with the Media Research Foundation, the Intermedia Department of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts, and the Budapest Autumn Festival. It brought leading figures of international media theory and media art to Hungary for the first time, significantly shaping Hungary’s engagement with new media after the change of the regime. The inaugural MetaForum in 1994 focused on multimedia and introduced the World Wide Web to Hungary. In 1995, the second conference examined network culture, while the 1996 event centered on the theme of content, highlighting its vital role in the growth of the internet and new media. The series emphasized the importance of quality content in expanding the role of new media and deepening societal understanding. Speakers included Vuk Ćosić, Alexei Shulgin, Olia Lialina, Wam Kat, Heath Bunting, Richard Barbrook, Matthew Fuller, Manuel DeLanda, Pit Schultz, and Peter Lamborn Wilson (Hakim Bey), with Inke Arns and Andreas Broeckmann also participating as audience members.

1994-1996

ABCD, launched by IDG Hungary in 1994, was Hungary’s first cultural multimedia periodical, experimenting with the multimedia CD-ROM format during its brief two-year run. Edited by pioneers András Nyírő and István Szakadát, it explored diverse cultural topics, from underground music to cyberfeminism, with standout interactive design by Yasar Meral. While supported by IDG, tensions arose between its cultural focus and the company’s push for IT-related content. The rise of the internet, which ABCD enthusiastically covered, ultimately rendered the CD-ROM format obsolete. Despite its short lifespan, ABCD marked an important attempt to merge cultural journalism with digital innovation and paved the way for Hungary’s early online media, including Nyírő’s later creation, Index.hu.

1995-1999

iNteRNeTTo was one of Hungary’s first and most popular online news portals in the nineties, created by András Nyírő and Uj Péter after the success of the multimedia CD-ROM magazine ABCD. Launched in 1995 with IDG Hungary’s support, it quickly became synonymous with the emerging internet culture in Hungary, blending news, cultural content, and interactive forums. As the portal grew, it introduced innovations such as online interviews, weekly newsletters, regional editions, and Hungary’s first internet-based TV broadcasts. By 1998, iNteRNeTTo was the country’s leading news portal, but tensions with IDG over its future led the editorial team to leave and establish Index.hu in 1999, marking a pivotal moment in Hungarian digital media history.

1995

In the early years of the internet in Hungary, the English term ‘homepage’ had several proposed translations. In 1995, a debate arose over which word to adopt officially, ultimately leading to the selection of ‘honlap’ as the Hungarian equivalent. This choice reflected the growing need to establish a localized vocabulary for the rapidly expanding digital world.

1996

* Organized by the Soros Center for Contemporary Arts Budapest, Intermedia Department of the Hungarian Academy of Fine Arts Budapest and Műcsarnok Budapest. Curators: Suzanne Mészöly (Program Director of SCCA Budapest) and Miklós Peternák (Board member of SCCA Budapest). Organising team: Zoltán Szegedy-Maszák, Andrea Szekeres, János Szoboszlai, Adéle Eisenstein, Helga Rajz, László Tölgyes, Lívia Páldi *

The exhibition held at the Műcsarnok Exhibition Hall in Budapest from January 20 to February 25, 1996 was the first to explore media arts within a historical context in Hungary. Drawing from chaos theory’s concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions, the exhibition examined the unpredictable impact of technological media on contemporary art and reflected on the interplay between historical innovations and future possibilities. Through artworks, events, lectures, and discussions, it highlighted the shifting boundaries between science, technology, and art, emphasizing ‘archaeological media research’ as a method to navigate the information age and envision the future. Its success led to the establishment of the C³ Center for Culture & Communication, making Budapest the central location of the Soros Center for Contemporary Art

1996

C³ was established as a joint initiative by the Soros Foundation Hungary, Silicon Graphics Hungary (the local branch of the global Silicon Graphics Inc., a leading company specializing in high-performance computing and 3D graphics technology), and MATÁV (Hungarian Telecom) in June 1996 in Budapest. It began as a three-year pilot project, forming part of the Soros Foundation’s program dedicated to building an ‘open society’ in post-socialist countries. In 1999, C³ became an independent nonprofit institution, operating as a public foundation under the directorship of Miklós Peternák, who has led the organization since 1997. In its early years, C³ prioritized public internet awareness, offering free internet access, courses for students, and support for NGOs. It also facilitated artistic production, maintained a library and an online archive, and hosted international residency programs, welcoming artists such as Bill Seaman, Alexei Shulgin, Olia Lialina, and JODI, resulting in the realization of key net art works, such as Form Art by Alexei Shulgin, Agatha Appears by Olia Lialina, or CTRL-SPACE by JODI. C³’s initiatives, including the 1997 launch of the Pararadio net radio and audio lab, provided critical resources for both local and international artists, promoting their work globally and establishing a vibrant hub for media art innovation in Hungary.

1996

Artpool played a prominent role in early internet culture. Published at the end of 1995, http://www.artpool.hu was one of the first websites created by an art institution in Hungary. In the series of thematic years that dominated the program of Artpool in the nineties, 1996 was celebrated as ‘the year of the Internet’, offering free Internet access to artists and researchers during opening hours from January 1996; developing a collection of art websites; organizing a number of art events and lectures reflecting on the Internet phenomenon; as well as publishing significant materials in Hungarian related to digital culture [János Sugár–Júlia Klaniczay (eds.): Hypertext + Multimedia, Artpool, Budapest, 1996].

1996-1999

1996-2001

The Internet.galaxY program series, organized by artist and inventor Dániel Erdély between 1996 and 2001 in Budapest, played a pivotal role in popularizing digital culture in Hungary. The inaugural event in February 1996 at the Budapest Gallery attracted large audiences, eager to explore the vast possibilities of the internet — a medium Erdély described as a “Window to the world”. The series showcased the internet’s potential beyond mere technological novelty, emphasizing its capacity to revolutionize communication, culture, and society. Through exhibitions, workshops, and discussions, Internet.Galaxy introduced the Hungarian public to the transformative power of the World Wide Web, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of digital culture during its formative years.

1997

Freemail was initially developed by C³ Center for Culture & Communication as one of Hungary’s pioneering email services. In July 1999, MATÁVnet assumed ownership of Freemail, but its development and operation continued under C³’s dedicated team. The service quickly gained popularity, reaching 250,000 active subscribers by January 20, 2000. A significant milestone followed when users could access Freemail without a dedicated internet subscription through MATÁV’s nationwide modem pools, enabling cost-effective local tariff calls. This innovation democratized access to email in Hungary, making digital communication more accessible across the country.

1998

WebTerminal was an innovative public online terminal system developed by C³ Center for Culture & Communication in 1998. Designed as a robust and user-friendly standalone unit, the WebTerminal featured a steel enclosure, touchscreen, an unbreakable keyboard, and a specialized browser interface tailored for public use. Initially, five terminals were installed in various locations across Budapest, connected via high-speed experimental ADSL lines in collaboration with MATÁV. The WebTerminals provided free and accessible internet to the public, marking a significant step in digital inclusion and public access technology. C³ also compiled a project report to document the initiative and its development, underscoring its commitment to expanding Hungary’s digital infrastructure.

2001

From the mid-nineties on, the Internet played a central role in fulfilling the idea of connecting the post-socialist region to Western liberal democracies. One of the main protagonists of this idea was the Open Society Institute, created in 1993 as a grantmaking network for supporting the Soros Foundations in East-Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. For the institute the Internet not only represented the idea of democratization and market liberalization but also symbolized the idea of the “open society”, referring to Karl Popper’s book ‘The Open Society and its Enemies’ from 1945. The original ambition was to provide financial support for non-governmental organizations, with the aim of strengthening democratic values in post-soviet societies. As a regional cultural program of the Open Society Institute, the ​​Soros Centers for Contemporary Art (SCCA) network, disposing of local Centers all over the East-Central European region, aimed to support the development and visibility of contemporary art of the region and the integration of regional artists into the global art world in the transitional period. With a focus on establishing the global visibility of the local artists, the Budapest-based Center of SCCA, C³ organized exhibitions, introduced grants, international residencies, and exchange programs, and provided public domain access for artists and NGOs of the cultural field. The SCCA network operated with a strong focus on the documentation of art practices, among others by supporting the digitization of print periodicals in the second half of the nineties. By the year 2000, the reintegration of East-Central European artists into the global scene was considered ‘more or less accomplished’ by the leaders of SCCA.