About me
Pulai received his Masters of Applied Arts from the Belgrade University of Arts (Textile Department) in 2011. He is teaching there now while pursuing a Doctorate degree focusing on Biomimetics, biological models from nature relevant for the development of textile design.
Pulai’s artistic practice is primarily in the field of textile art, design, tapestry, and digital illustration. In 2014 he founded the association Čunak with the aim of reviving manual textile techniques such as weaving, felt wool, and machine knitting. He is a recipient of numerous awards for the exceptional achievement in textile, including the ’’Iva Vrinjanin’’; the ULUPUDS (Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia ); the Grand Prix at the 45th May exhibition; the ’’Nagyapáti Kukac Péter ;” and most recently the 6th Triennial of Tapestry of ”Atelje 61”, award.
My work consists of surreal constellation of zoomorphic, biomorphic and anthropomorphic forms. The introspective aspect of the work creates imaginary forms of the human being. Boundless questioning of myself through other forms of life, identification with their traits, as well as recollecting memories of my childhood and growing up gives a new, often surreal dimension to the work. I aim to present the mysteries of both organic and human worlds in the form of soft sculptures realized by using biomimetic principles, that is by applying tactile and biomimetic qualities based on recognizable, verifiable, unique, and specific data to the development of non-woven structural textile surfaces. I shape wool fibers using the felting technique, which allows me to realize complex three-dimensional forms. By extracting certain elements from nature and multiplying them through different structural variations, guided by biomimicry, I attempt to create new systems for building textile sculptures. This research in biometrics enabled me to delve into unexplored artistic sphere, and to articulate my artistic imagination more clearly.
Education and professional occupation:
BA, MA, University of Art, Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, Textile department
Doctoral student Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade
Artistic associate, Textile department, Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade
Member od ETN (European Textile Network ) 2017.
Member of ULUPUDS(Association of Applied Arts and Designers of Serbia), 2014.
He is mainly working in the field of textile art, design, tapestry, biomimicry, structural interface, pedagogy.
Exhibitions:
- Intercontinental bienal, The National Museum of Colombia, Bogota, Columbia, 2023-24.
- 7th Riga International Textile and Fiber Art Triennial, Museum of Decorative Arts and Design, Lodz, Poland, 2023.
- Young Balkan Designers 22, Salone del Mobile, Milano, Italy, 2022
- European Prize for Applied Arts 2021, BeCraft, Belgium, 2021-2022
- “Scythia 13”, 13.-th. International Biennial of Contemporary Textile Art, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, 2020.
- The 9th International Mini Textile Art Exhibition “Scythia”, Ivano- Frankivs’k, Ukraina, 2019
- International Micro Textile Art Exhibition, Ivano- Frankivs’k, Ukraina, 2019
Prizes and Awards:
- Art for a new non-violent culture of peace awards “Special recognition of the jury” Fondation Matica Mira, Novi Sad, European capital of culture 2022, Novi Sad, Serbia, 2023.
- Award of the Museum if Applied Arts in Belgrade for the realization of Super-Ego-Logic man, Belgrade, Serbia, 2020.
- Awaded with the ’’Nagyapáti Kukac Péter ’’ award for the exceptional achievement in textile for the 2017.
- The Prize for the Ideal Tapestry Solution for 2017 year, Atelje 61, Petrovaradin, 2017
- Award at international exhibitions for the work “Introspection” in the categories of contemporary tapestries, 6th Triennial of Tapestry, Novi Sad, 2017
- Commendation, award by the jury of ULUPUDS (Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia for the work of Introspection, TISO, Belgrade, 2017
- Commendation, award by the jury of ULUPUDS (Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia) in 22nd Biennial of Tapestry 2016.
- Won the Grand Prix at the 45th May exhibition for textile wall partition made of termic presses, Belgrade, 2013.
- Commendation, award by the jury of ULUPUDS (Association of Applied Arts Artists and Designers of Serbia) in the field of textiles, 2011.
- Awarded with the ’’Iva Vrinjanin’’ award for the exceptional achievement in textile for the 2011.
Publications:
- Arpad Pulai, Slobodan Mišić, Biomimetics as an imperative of creative development of textile design, in: SmartArt, Art and sience applied: Experiance and vision, Belgrade 2022.
- Arpad Pulai, Current creative research attitudes related to contemporary textile art Interface theory in textile means-Textile means as a means of communication, in: 44. Zeszyty Artystyczne, TEXTILE ART, In the face of contemporary times, University of Arts Magdalena Abakanowicz in Poznań, 2(4)/2023
