09/20/2026
Slowdown Inspiration - Hungarian photographer Szilveszter Makó's surreal portrait art.
Szilveszter is inspired by a wide range of art styles including Italian art and the Renaissance, Dadaism, and Bauhaus filtered through a deliberately melancholy mood. A defining trait of his practice is that almost nothing in his images is bought or CGI-generated. His set design, props, and even some of the garments are handmade, and he favors recycled and natural materials like cardboard, reclaimed wood, household objects, inherited cutlery, scraps.
Szilveszter's work is often described through the lens of Surrealism and grotesque art, using chiaroscuro lighting and contrasting earth tones to evoke old paintings rather than modern photography. His childhood in Hungary's Lillafüred forests and its folklore continue to surface in his handcrafted, faded-antique aesthetic.