Biography

Gábor Tóth was born in Budapest in 1950. After his law studies he was trained in the printing trade. The versatile artist regularly experimented with different ways of artistic expression: with concrete and Zenpoesie, Conceptual Art, Fluxus, video art, and – under the name TGNoise – even with noise music.

Since the 1970s he has been active in the mail art scene. He made postcards, stamps and artiststamp using screen printing techniques on official stamp sheets. He organized mail art projects and produced stickers with anti-art slogans such as: ARTISTS GO HOME! I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ART. These works have reached numerous museums through the mail art network, and were even seen on the wall of a Zen monastery in Japan.

In addition to postcards and envelopes he also stamped everyday things with texts like: DO NOT TOUCH MY ART! KEEP IT AWAY FROM NATURE! He finished these objects with his signature. Since the 1970s, he has been corresponding with Dick Higgins, who invited him to collaborate on the project for the exploration of visual poetry. This led to an intensive exchange of theoretical and practical issues. An intense artistic friendship and, above all, a similar approach to art and non-art, connects Tóth with Ben Vautier, which was reflected in some collective actions. His most important message in Mail Art still applies for today: MAKE STAMP NOT WAR.

In 1993 Tóth was editor of the illegal Hungarian radio station Tilos Rádió (forbidden radio), from 1994 to 1996 he was editor of the avant-garde magazine Laza Lapok (loose leaves). He is the founder of the Unintelligent Art Association and remained in contact with the Hungarian Neoists Monty Cantsin, who is living in Canada.
He has published 25 books so far, had 11 solo exhibitions and participated in more than 200 group exhibitions. After eight solo CDs and four with his band Mesek STB. (Stories, etc.) he founded the band Paranoiz in 2011.

Literature (selection)

Szombathy, Bálint: Information, Contra-information – Magyar Szó 1973.okt.27.
Szombathy, Bálint: A konkrét költészet – Új Symposion 169 sz. 1978.
Henri Chopin: Poesie Sonore – Trajertoires 1979.
Szombathy, Bálint: Tóth G. szóbuborékjai – HÍD 1981. április
Perneczky, Géza: A háló – Héttorony kiadó 1994
Perneczky, Géza: Mail Art, Oppozíció, vagy menedék? /tanulmány – Schwerin Exhibition 1996.
Szombathy, Bálint: ‘ARTOT/H/AL’ (Biographie, biography)
T. G. munkásságának megközelítése 1968-2003 / Ráció Kiadó 2004.

Links

Mesékstb. on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTDHj7fa0fg
ParaNoiZ on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5pzmTRIhtg
Mail Artists Index: http://mailartists.wordpress.com/2012/02/11/gabor-toth