World-renowned philosopher and star designer at MOME

Date: 2022.05.09

The Foundation for Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design invited a prominent figure of philosophy and of design each to this year’s graduation ceremony. Philosopher and culture theoretician Byung-Chul Han and chief design officer for Mercedes-Benz Gorden Wagener will deliver a speech at the BA and MA graduation ceremony, respectively.

At this year’s BA graduation ceremony, the main graduation speech will be delivered South Korea-born philosopher Byung-Chul Han, one of the world’s most original thinkers. Han is a relentless critic of neoliberalism, the postmodern Zeitgeist and a lifestyle centred around digital devices, and author of international bestsellers such as The Burnout Society, Saving Beauty and Psychopolitics. In his most recent writing Noema he is seeking an answer to the question of how arts can help formulate a new, forward-looking narrative for the people of the 21st century. Han hardly ever agrees to speaks in front a public, so his appearance at MOME is a rare and exceptional gesture.

The speaker of our MA graduation ceremony Gorden Wagener is a German car designer and chief design officer of Mercedes-Benz. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the mutually satisfactory collaboration between MOME and one of the world’s top automotive brands. In addition to delivering a speech at the graduation ceremony to celebrate the anniversary in style, Wagener will also inaugurate Mobility Lab, the latest pride of MOME Campus geared towards the future of transportation, together with MOME’s management.

Dates:
MOME BA graduation ceremony: 30 June
MOME MA graduation ceremony: 1 July

20 years of strategic collaboration between MOME and Mercedes Benz

Gorden Wagener, chief design officer for Mercedes-Benz received his industrial product designer degree in 1993. He studied under Stefan Lengyel, head of the product design department of Essen University at the time and guest professor at MOME, who forged the link between Mercedes and our university. Ever since, MOME students and lecturers have been actively involved in the design programmes of the automotive brand. Wagener took over management of the product design department of Mercedes in 2008, and since then has completely reinvented the the luxury brand’s forms and design philosophy to also incorporate Bauhaus motifs. The milestone anniversary of the collaboration between MOME and Mercedes-Benz will feature a unique event series at the Campus.

More news

Once again, a MOME diploma film debuts at the Berlinale

Another Hungarian animation is heading to Berlin: Janka Feiner’s diploma film, Fire in My Pocket, has been selected for the Generation Kplus competition programme at the Berlin International Film Festival. The nearly 10-minute film was created on the Animation MA programme of Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, with the support of the National Film Institute Hungary. Set in a magical mushroom realm it opens a window onto children’s inner emotional lives, impressing the Berlinale selection committee with its blend of stop-motion with digital drawing animation.

Health, sustainability, and sport at MOME – Highlights from 2025

In 2025, the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design recorded a series of national and international achievements linked to health, wellbeing and sustainability, reinforcing the idea that community wellbeing at MOME is not an abstract value but a consciously built, long-term strategy.

From admissions to festivals – The Fresh Rooster is back

Organised by the Animation programme of the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME Anim) and the Fresh Meat Festival, the Fresh Rooster Animation Film Days will take place for the fourth year in a row at the Zugliget Campus and Toldi Cinema in Budapest. The two-day programme, held on 16–17 January 2026 features the premiere screenings of diploma films by the class of 2025, alongside professional talks, portfolio consultations, animation premieres, a Ferenc Sajdik retrospective, a comics marathon, and the traditional Grafix fair.

All News