Hidden Visions
The exhibition Hidden Visions is one of the three diploma exhibitions of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts’ Art Theory Department. By investigating the possibilities of Hungary’s progressive culture, the exhibition is searching for an answer to the question of how we could form and rebuild our own environment following the economic, social and cultural crisis that have occurred during the recent years, each intensify the other. The project, which includes several preparatory programs and the exhibition in a former building of the Csepel Pipe Factory, is searching for those visions, which could inspire us ideologically and culturally to overcome these changes. Along the notions of labour, community and education – and proceeding from the cultural and social discussions of these fields – the exhibition aims to formulate an image about a post-crisis Hungary.
- The exhibition entitled 'Hidden visions' is a thesis for the00:00:15.080
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- Fine Art Theory department of the Hungarian Fine Art University.00:00:18.180
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- About a year ago it emerged that we'd work together on this project00:00:24.420
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- and following a couple of meetings we decided to make the exhibition here in Csepel.00:00:31.500
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- So in July we visited the location, and we tried to find the spaces at the Csepel Factory site00:00:38.300
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- that'd be suitable for making an exhibition.00:00:45.530
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- In the first place 'Hidden visions' deals with the problematic of what to do00:00:48.500
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- in a post crisis situation in Hungary.00:00:56.655
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- So our basic idea was that there is an almost decade long economic crisis going on in Hungary,00:00:59.655
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- next to a societal crisis that came about after the regime change00:01:08.200
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- and there is an intellectual crisis which kicked in after the visions disappeared or got worn out that,00:01:18.000
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- one of them we call the liberal vision that was typical the world over not only in Hungary00:01:25.500
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- but after the fall of the iron curtain especially in Hungary00:01:30.060
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- and there is a pronouncedly Hungarian specific vision the 'Lakiteleki vision',00:01:36.200
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- By the 2000s, they lost their impact00:01:40.330
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- or at least they had no more effect intellectually on intellectuals nor on the country's culture00:01:43.180
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- and a year ago we started talking about what visions were still present in Hungary or in Europe00:01:48.200
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- that could define our thinking culturally and socially as well00:01:57.220
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- what visions can penetrate in a post crisis situation the cultural and ideological spectrums.00:02:03.400
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- Everything that happened in the twentieth century in Hungary left its traces on Csepel,00:02:17.300
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- on the Csepel Factory because of that we hadn't looked at it as an object,00:02:22.400
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- as an object of our examination rather as a context it'd become a very important context, Csepel has.00:02:26.450
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- In selecting the artists it was an important criterion that we somehow go beyond00:02:32.300
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- the contemporary Hungarian art discourse in which we studied, that we lived with lately.00:02:38.010
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- It was very important to include such artists that aren't usual,00:02:49.920
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- that usually do not address in their work those questions.00:02:53.950
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- It was also important to not only formulate social criticism but to rise from,00:02:59.400
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- from the criticism of whatever is going on in Hungary00:03:04.010
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- and to start to formulate positive visions.00:03:08.020
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- We also thought that it would be important not to simply select works00:03:16.020
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- but to see new work being made. In turn it was important for us as well to share00:03:23.020
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- certain references to the theme with the selected artists.00:03:29.060
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- Because of that we organized Saturday morning talks in the Labor00:03:32.060
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- to which we invited Emese Kurti, Samu Szemerei and Agi Gagyi.00:03:36.100
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- We went for a walk with a local historian of Csepel around the site of the Csepel Factory.00:03:41.300
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- We felt it to be crucial to not only hand out a task to the artists00:03:46.540
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- but to somehow create a common discourse grounding the making of new pieces.00:03:51.200
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- The installation of Istvan Csakany is in another space in an abandoned factory hall00:03:58.700
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- that piece is part of the installation that was shown at documenta13 in Kassel00:04:04.800
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- but it was never presented anywhere before00:04:10.900
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- and an aspect of the concept is to have the effect of having been abandoned in a factory hall.00:04:15.000
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- Gruppo Tomag artists group consisting of Tamas Budha and Andras Tabori00:04:23.320
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- created a fictional story for their work, the fake documents of a photograph and a shirt.00:04:28.340
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- These documents show symbols, motives that have demotic, urban and00:04:38.800
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- communist internationalist references by what they create00:04:45.010
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- a new symbolic system that can be interpreted as00:04:50.020
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- a synthesis of the great visions of the 20th century.00:04:56.560
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- Our aim with the exhibition was to initiate a search with artists, with local artists,00:05:01.100
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- for visions of the future, to have such work being created which are concerned00:05:06.360
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- with alternatives to be brought about towards visions of a better future.00:05:11.910