Mihály Kolodko's Mini Statues

In Budapest’s Szabadság Square (Liberty Square), if you look carefully next to the fence that overlooks the café, you might find a small bronze sculpture of Kermit the Frog assuming a pose that is more traditionally amphibian than typical for the muppet.

This small statue is one of many created by “guerilla sculptor” Mihály Kolodko. He is a Ukrainian citizen with Hungarian roots, born in the city of Uzhhorod in 1978. Kolodko graduated from Lviv Academy of Arts in 2002, where he studied “monumental sculpture.”

The artist began creating his miniature sculptures in 2010. They are usually not much bigger than a clenched fist, which can make them difficult to spot even when you know where to find them. But that’s part of the fun! Kolodko felt that the form allowed him to depict monumental ideas quickly and conveniently. (It also makes it much easier to sneakily install them!) 

Kolodko’s mini sculptures keep appearing throughout the city of Budapest. Each little sculpture has its own back story. Some are simply to entertain those that find them, others acknowledge historic people and others comment on political moments.  Once you find a statue, you can hunt down the story behind it. Beyond the Kermit in Szabadság Square, his bronze sculptures include a tiny tank at Bem Quay, a likeness of composer Franz Liszt near a bus stop, a Jeff Koons-inspired ballon dog near the Chain Bridge, and more. One of the most recent additions is a Russian warship, a commentary on the war in Ukraine that is Kolodko’s largest mini sculpture to date.