Hungary’s Two Tailed Dog Party

“This commemorative plague of Budapest marks the spot in which the government will stop the alien spacecraft in the heroic battle of 3723. In memory of the dead.” Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

One of the most active graffiti crews in Budapest is the faux political movement called the Two Tailed Dog Party. Founded out of a frustration with a lack of viable political options, the Two Tailed Dog Party established itself as a mouthpiece for speech freedoms and government-directed critique. The joke party’s principle avenue of information sharing is via street art. Their pasted fake campaign posters poke fun at everything from the government’s decision to remove all World War Two-related plaques around the Jewish Ghetto to candidates’ unrealistic campaign promises. Most posters feature an upside-down illustration of Istvan Nagy (the Hungarian naming equivalent of John Smith), the small dog who is “so cute that he wouldn’t steal.”

Nagy Istvan, himself. Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

Most of this joke party’s posters are nonsensical; they tell stories about immigrant puppies from Dagestan or mark the place where aliens will be defeated several thousand years in the future.

“Our trains are deliberately dirty.” Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

Despite their often light-hearted jabs, the efforts of the Two Tailed Dog Party make an important statement about the emptiness of politicking and the way in which it clutters the public space. “This is a waste of your time,” reads one poster, reminding the observer of a greater apathy in Budapest, which views political candidates as one and the same, regardless of which party supports them. Similar to Moscow’s Partizaning, the group also redesigns street signs, advertisements, and plaques to encourage Hungarian citizens to recognize their own dependence on the government’s direction, arbitrary choices, and selective historical memory.

“Caution! Reading this poster is a waste of your time!” The Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

An Adoption Advertisement: “Two Tailed Puppies Arrived from an Underdeveloped Region in Dagestan…” The Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

On Left: “Thanks, Orban.” Artist Unknown. On Right: A poke at the ridiculous behaviour in Parliament. Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

A laundry list of Hungary’s ills (apathy, poverty, wastefulness). Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

On Right Top: See Previous Image. On Right Bottom: “How very good that I have nothing to worry about.” The Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

“Important! We are sorry but a mistake has been made. We made this poster to please ourselves; it is not to be read.” The Two Tailed Dog Party. July 2011. Budapest, Hungary. (Photo: Alexis Zimberg).

Share on Tumblr