Our story
Q Contemporary is a non-profit art centre in the heart of Budapest, Hungary. It is located in an elegant 19th-century villa on Andrássy Avenue, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Budapest’s most iconic streets. Q Contemporary was founded in 2018 by Queenie Rosita Law and opened its doors in 2021.
Our mission is to contribute to the understanding and appreciation of contemporary art in Budapest, especially among younger generations. Inspired by a rising generation of artistic talents responding to tremendous socio-economic change in the post-communist landscape of Central & Eastern Europe, Q Contemporary’s collection, exhibitions and accompanying programs are dedicated to supporting local and regional artists.
Our Team
Hong Kong
Queenie Rosita Law
Q Contemporary was founded by Queenie Rosita Law, an entrepreneur from Hong Kong who fell in love with Central & Eastern European contemporary art while travelling the region. She received the Hungarian Gold Cross of Merit, the country’s second-highest civilian honour, in recognition of her contribution and commitment to the arts. Queenie graduated from Central Saint Martins and began her career as a painter. She currently lives in Hong Kong, but considers Budapest as her second home.
Eszter Csillag
Eszter has been the Artistic Director of Q Contemporary since its formation. She is responsible for programming, cultural exchange, and collaborations with other institutions.
She collaborated with Hauser & Wirth (2020) and Christie’s Education (2021) to hold lectures exploring Central & Eastern European contemporary art with a focus on women artists. She co-curated with K11 Art Foundation the exhibition “Tracing the Fragments” (Hong Kong, 2021) and organised accompany events. She has worked for years on mapping the artists of Central & Eastern Europe, with a special focus on emerging artists.
Currently in the last year of her PhD degree at the Art History Department of the University of Hong Kong, Eszter is working on the representation of Chinese natural history in Early Modern Europe, and previously completed an MA in art history at the University of RomaTre, and a BA at La Sapienza University in Rome, Italy.
Budapest
Mónika Zsikla
Mónika is the Curatorial Director of Q Contemporary. Between 2003 and 2009, she studied Art History and Aesthetics at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and from 2015 to 2018, she continued her education in the Aesthetics Programme of the Doctoral School of Philosophy at Eötvös Loránd University, where she is now working on her doctoral thesis.
Between 2007 and 2015, she worked at the Kisterem Gallery in Budapest. In parallel with her studies, as an Ernő Kállai scholar, she has conducted extensive research on the life work of Zsigmond Károlyi (as of 2013) and of Gizella Rákóczy (as of 2016). Since 2007, she has regularly published in Hungarian periodicals, as well as in Hungarian and international publications. Since 2017, she has been a lecturer at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, and curator at the Budapest Gallery. In parallel with these activities, she has curated and co-curated numerous exhibitions of Hungarian contemporary art over the past decade. She is member of the AICA.
Her curated exhibition with the artist Zsófia Keresztes – After Dreams: I Dare to Defy The Damage – represented Hungary at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.
Blanka Szalay
Blanka works as the Exhibition & Programme Manager at Q Contemporary and is responsible for collection management, artist research and cultural programmes. She has a passion for working with people and loves creating educational programmes and tours that are adapted to every interest and all ages. She received her Tour Guide certification in 2014.
Blanka graduated from Pázmány Péter Catholic University with a major in Art History and a minor in History. In 2020, she received a certificate as a Cultural Organisation Manager with a Complementary Degree in Law, and plans to pursue doctoral studies in the future.