Ilona Németh to Create Memorial for Wartime Rape Victims in Budapest

In March 2022, the General Assembly of Budapest selected Ilona Németh, Gabi Mészáros, and Anikó N. Tóth's proposal for a public memorial titled 'Memory of Rape in Wartimes: Women as Victims of Sexual Violence.' The memorial will be built on a vacant lot in Budapest's Viziváros district, near Castle Hill, where a house destroyed by WWII bombing once stood. The design incorporates existing concrete walls and trees, adding new walls colored with pink marble powder from Tardos, referencing the average height of women in the region. A poetic text by Tóth will be partially visible, with the last line hidden on top of a wall. Medicinal herbs used for gynecological diseases will be planted around the trees. The project aims to address the taboo of wartime sexual violence, with the memorial expected to be realized in 2023. Németh, a Slovakian-Hungarian artist, has a history of public works engaging with historical and gender issues, including 'The Mirror' (2009) in Győr and 'The Fog' (2013) in Bratislava. She is also developing a Public Art MA program at the Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, starting in 2023.