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December 1, 2008 |
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Attila Fovenyessy. Artist. Musician. Photographer. A hairstylist by profession, Attila is very good at what he does, but photography and travel have long since been his true passion. Growing up in northern Hungary Attila studied art as a teenager and took an active interest in music; a self proclaimed ‘dreamer’ Attila knew from an early age that it was beyond his native city of Miskolc and it’s rigid communist rule that he would find true happiness. Attila sang lead in a rock band called “The Trust” and for while pursued a career as a painter, but Attila’s focus would soon turn toward hair styling, an art in itself.  Konso Land, Ethiopia 2001 PHOTO: Attila Fovenyessy Attila Fovenyessy He found he had a natural talent for the business and his career quickly excelled. As his skills and experience increased, so did his sense for adventure and exploration. He sought further opportunity in Paris in 1969 where he worked on Europes elite for the prestigous L’Oreal company. Not long after he relocated to Vienna and after travelling and working exstensively throughout Europe Attila soon began to feel like it was “just too small’.
There was a whole world out there to explore and Attila would not lose sight of his dreams. "I wanted to see the world, I wanted to explore different cultures and the best way I thought I could do that was through the US". So in 1974, with a dream and a one-way ticket Attila emmigrated to the United States.  New York, New York “In New York City I was doing stylist work for Vogue, Harper's Bazar, McCall's, Visitors East, & Park Avenue Social Review.
"Moving to the US proved to be a wise move. It enabled me to fulfill many of those dreams and continue my hobby on a succession of trips to exotic locals like Papua New Guinea several times, The Amazon, India, Africa, Ethiopia and Brazil.” If for no other reason, but to put food upon the table Attila has done extremly well for himself as a professional hairstylist here in New York. However, spend some time with Attila, look over his photos, listen to his stories and it soon becomes undeniably evident that it’s photography that truly feeds this man’s soul. “It wasn’t until after my emigration to the US that I developed a more serious interest in photography. I loved taking snapshots of my travels and my friends, as well as the various hair shows I had attended & competed at throughout Europe. When I arrived in ‘74, New York City was alive with rock venues and I was a huge fan of ‘American Rock ‘n Roll' so turning my camera lens toward the music scene just felt natural." Spending the next few years taking pictures of different bands in and around New York Attila’s first commercial success came in 1982 when some of his work was published in Dynamite International Magazine followed by his images being featured in the Cliff Richard Movement – Cliff Special 1983. "It wasn’t commercial success I was after so I just continued to take pictures for the fun of it because it was something that I enjoyed doing." This photo represents a warrior of the Kivori tribe . “Earlier in my life I had developed an interest in ‘tribal culture’. I was fascinated by every aspect of it so in 1993, with a 35mm Nikon 8008s in tow I made the long journey around the globe to Irian Jaya, the western sector of New Guinea.”
Visiting the Baliem Valley's ‘Dani Tribe’ and in the south of the island the ‘Asmat’ tribe. The experience had a profound effect on Attila and spawned an even deeper interest in ‘tribal culture’. So much in fact that Attila was compelled to return a year later. This time to Papua New Guinea's Sepik River region and the Highlands where he visited many more colorful and intensly interesting tribes. Looking at the following images you might imagine Attila Fovenyessy to be a seasoned professional with string of photo credits extending for decades. You might even expect photos of this caliber to be found adorning the pages of National Geographic. Although Fovenyessy has enjoyed taking pictures for over 20 years, it wasn’t until his trip to Papua New Guinea in ‘93 that he began to pursue photography more seriously.  Goroka Show - Papua New Guinea PHOTO: Attila Fovenyessy 1994
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