24/08/2026
The first piece in my The Tables of Writers and Artists series was created in 2025. In the painting, I captured the Dragomán family’s dinner table, accompanied by a beautiful reflection written by Szabó T. Anna . Here it is:
“Setting the table has been important to both of us from the very beginning. There have always been flowers and fruit, and an old woven tablecloth on our round table inherited from my grandmother. But it was only after I turned forty that the endless possibilities of the dining table became something of an obsession for me.
I have collected countless tablecloths, plates, and other tableware for all kinds of occasions, but above all, I love imagining different colourful settings for Gyuri’s cooking. I am fascinated by the dynamics of the dining table.
It all began in Finland, with the Iittala plates you can see here. The book is on the table because it had arrived in the post that very day. A week earlier, we had given a guided tour at the Hungarian University of Fine Arts’ Best of Diploma 2025 exhibition, and while preparing for it, I had started reading about Daniel Spoerri—who, like me, was born in Romania—and about his Eat Art and trap paintings. I immediately ordered the book, and that evening I would actually have preferred to read it rather than set the table or eat.
Still, I took out some beautiful plates, and we quickly put whatever food we had at home on the table. Gyuri bakes fresh bread every day, and it is at the heart of our smaller meals, so that is what I usually shop around. And then there is the candle, of course, which we light even on weekdays and during the day.
We often talk about books at the table anyway, but fortunately Gyuri always believes in giving a meal the attention it deserves. So at our table there is no reading, no scrolling on our phones, and watching television is not something we do anyway. We even rarely listen to music in the background while we eat.
We simply enjoy the flavours, the colours, and the aromas. We slow down for a while and have good conversations. Every meal is a celebration.”
