Orsi Haboczki
A native Hungarian, I am in my first year of Graphics and Illustration and my second year at Loughborough. As a young citizen of the European Union I feel that I am responsible for helping positive change happen, and I know many people feel similarly. My interest in politics and social sciences inspires me to use my creative toolkit to share stories about fights for democracy, and make the voices of my generation heard.
Drawing and image-making have always been my favourite forms of artistic expression as a single illustration can mean something completely different to everyone and yet communicate a message or an entire story in an engaging and comprehensible way. My favourite techniques include continuous-line drawing as well as watercolour and collaging. As I am studying to be a graphic designer and illustrator, I enjoy creating figurative images, especially when I get to depict someone who has inspired me in some way, such as Blanka Nagy.
Blanka Nagy
Blanka Nagy is a young Hungarian political activist who became known for her tough criticism of the Hungarian governing elite when she spoke out at a protest in December 2018, when she was only a senior in high school. In turn, she was harshly judged and made lewd comments about in government-controlled media outlets. I find it inspiring that she didn’t stand down in the face of these events, instead kept being active as a member of the Independent Students’ Parliament (Fuggetlen Diakparlament) and went on to run in local elections in 2019. Her courage in an intimidating and somewhat oppressive political climate such as my native Hungary inspires me to attend protests and take part in civic engagement. I think she can be an inspiration to many young people, whether Hungarian or not, who are unsure whether they can have a real, tangible impact in politics.
I got in contact with Blanka regarding this project, asking her to send me a photo of herself from a protest that she especially liked. The atmosphere of the photo she sent me inspired the colour palette and composition of this illustration, into which I incorporated visuals often appearing at recent (student) protests, such as angry emojis and phone lights being held up.
