Photo: Bálint Hirling / FFS
The series was created in 2013-2014, as a part of Átlátás / Overview workshop, organized by the Studio of Young Photographers, Hungary (FFS), in which young artists and curators work on a commonly agreed theme in a given time, to create an exhibition at the end of the process. The exhibiton "Kiváló a hangulat" / "Thats excellent, or something..." was created by artists Máté Bartha, and Andrea Kozma, and curators Nóra Gyenge, Mesi Mucsi, and Virág Lődi. The exhibition consisted of the series "Half the man", an installation, and a mind map that corresponded to the topics and questions our work was aimed at.
We’re five in this nonconventional curator-artist co-production. Our brainstorming, which started six months ago, stemming from Andi’s and Máté’s works, focuses on the relation of photography and public space.
To structure our ideas we created a mindmap visualizing the complexity of these two concepts’ connections and their context. Each of Máté’s works can be placed within this map. There are two kinds of photographs here: those where the subjects were just found on the streets and the others taken from transitory public
To structure our ideas we created a mindmap visualizing the complexity of these two concepts’ connections and their context. Each of Máté’s works can be placed within this map. There are two kinds of photographs here: those where the subjects were just found on the streets and the others taken from transitory public
interventions made by the artists based on the discovered themes. The latter works are temporary: they only exist until being captured. These transitory artworks therefore do not interact at all with the city or citizens before appearing on photos. As of today…
This genre has proved to be a perfect tool for demonstrating a problem, but such a mere presentation leads to dilemmas for both the artists and the audience: At which point does artistic use of public space turn into its abuse? Can taking collective responsibility grow ethically problematic? Does public art call for an aesthetic or rather an ethical approach? What about humor? We welcome and encourage everyone who wishes to improve our mindmap on these relations of public space and photography.
That’s excellent...or something.
Nóra Gyenge, Virág Lődi, Emese Mucsi
Photo: Bálint Hirling / FFS
Photo: Bálint Hirling / FFS
Photo: Bálint Hirling / FFS
Mindmap, in the exhibition space:
Photo: Bálint Hirling / FFS
Photo: Bálint Hirling / FFS
Photo: Bálint Hirling / FFS