Trash to treasure: Introducing the works of a Hungarian sculptor - PHOTOS

For the sculptor from Csesznek, everything that is just rubbish for others is valuable.

In Zoltán Rónaszéki’s metal sculpting workshop, he recycles even the most wasteful scraps. 24.hu interviewed him on the occasion of his recently completed, life-size sculpture of Bumblebee.

Zoltán, who originally worked as a coachsmith in Csesznek, started making something different out of scrapped parts by chance, but now, metal sculpting is his life.

Zoltán says that even as a child, he wanted to make a lasting impression. He learnt to use a welder when he was 13 or 14, and he knew then that this was what he had to do. First, he made flower holders, candle holders, and then an iron rose.

szemétből kincset sculpture — Source: Szemétből Kincset Facebook page

He graduated from high school as a coachsmith and worked as such in the next 10 years. Even then, he made a few small things, but he could never fully develop.

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In 2018, he passed the Awi welding apprenticeship while working, and this later changed his life. It was a small motorbike made from discarded car parts that set Zoltán on his way.

After that, he received more and more orders and had to decide whether to continue with this or his profession. It was not an easy decision, he hesitated for almost two years before deciding to become a full-time metal sculptor. This, he says, was the best decision of his life.

He has been working on his sculptures for two years now.

“I am moving forward, unbroken, for a long time to come, I hope! In this time, hundreds of works have left the workshop, it would be difficult to pick out 1 or 2 favourites. There were several train models, I also made a lot of personalised ornaments, but I also made “Wall-e”, the little robot.”

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The Mounted Archer was his first work to be exported abroad. Also very important to him is the mammoth sculpture, which was completed last year in 120 hours, using 0.2 tonnes of iron and countless scrap parts and bearings.

Now, his biggest work, Bumblebee from the Transformers movies, has been completed.

“Bumblebee was made for a commission. When I first spoke to the client, I couldn’t believe it! I was very excited and couldn’t wait to get started. I started in the summer of 2021 and finished recently, in January 2022.”

szemétből kincset bumblebee — Bumblebee. Source: Szemétből Kincset Facebook page

The statue weighs around 600 kilograms and is 3 metres high.

As for his plans for the future, this is what Zoltán had to say:

“In the future, I would like to make as many big sculptures as possible, at least one a year. I hope I will have more extreme commissions like Bumblebee. I like a challenge. And in the long run, I would love to fulfil commissions from abroad. I also have my own ideas that I want to realise alongside the commissions, these should be my secrets for now so that when I do get it done, it will be a surprise.”