Contemporary work of important Hungarian photographers.

Abstract space

Ákos CZIGÁNY - Imre DRÉGELY - Ágnes EPERJESI - Gábor KEREKES

Intimate space

Gabriella CSEH - Barna ILLÉS - Zsuzsanna KEMENESI - Balázs TELEK

Public space

Imre BENKŐ - Mátyás MISETICS - Ildikó PÉTER - Lenke SZILÁGYI

NESSIM Gallery was created in 2005 and is focused exclusively on contemporary hungarian and central european

artists. It tries to map the abstract and surreal photography in central european region.

NESSIM Gallery presents artists on the international level, not only by exhibiting on fairs, but also by

cooperation with partner galleries on exhibitions outside the Hungary. It participated on the arts fair in Strassbourg, many times on Art Fair in Budapest and also on Art Fair in Dubai in 2010.

NESSIM Gallery in colaboration with Museum of modern art in Olomouc organised exhibition of Ivo Přeček or the exhibition for the 80th anniversary of Ladislav Postupa and also very interesting exhibition of Slovak photographer Peter Koštuna.

Art pieces of the authors of NESSIM Gallery are represented in many public and private collections, ranging from Victoria and Albert museum to Musée d’Élysée in Lausanne and another in Tokio or Strassbourg.

Today, on the beginning of 21st century, it is very hard to put through a photographic exhibition, that would reflect typical Hungarian approach to photography.

Contemporary exhibition’s mainframe is to allow overview about the life of photographers in first decade of the new century in the country called Hungary and how they see the world around them.

Allow me to demostrate metaphorically the current state with this characteristics:

Imagine a large sheaf of reed, that consists of innumerable straws. The sheaf is tied on several spots to prevent its split-up. This sheaf of reed represents the Hungarian photography before the political change 20 years ago. It is bound by several outside rules, the same way as a high-strung wire that only seldom lets a straw apart from the sheaf, that went loose on the road. The sheaf is strong, it is unable to break it. The wind blows only through the edge pieces and those inside are untouched by the light.

Coming of a new political system cuts the wire and the sheaf splits-up. Most of the straws are touched by the fresh air and sun rays for the first time. The former sheaf lies on the road, its straws from the edge and from the inside all around the place.

More or less, I can see how the photography has changed during the years.

Each single straw can finaly breathe fresh air, the free world, and in some short time, each will face different direction. Previously most distant straws are still recognizable by their need of more light than the rest, while those that were most inside are now the most rampant. Straws are not identical, even that they were in one sheaf.

Not anymore can we put Hungarian photographers in one box, but we need to see the development of individual photographers and interpret some of the specifics on them.

For my convinience, I’ve chosen three aspects:

Abstract space - these are photographers, whose work reflects abstract art

Intimate space - is formed by artists, whose work tells us about their lives

Public space - presents male photographers, that reflect the inner state of man as a social being and their relationship to social phenomenons

My choice is obviously subjective, other curator would surely create another collection. I hope though that the exhibition represents some of the important artistic and human message. In the exhibition, I present works of artists ranging from 30 to 60 years. With these photographers, I’ve tried to draw a picture that represent different faces of Hungary photography.

Many types of straws from the sheaf of reed, that went loose on the road.

Mihály Surányi

director of NESSIM Gallery in Budapest

www.nessim.hu