Terra Nova
The economic crisis of the previous few years has not only placed a stigma on global markets, but has also greatly affected our cultural environment. A breach of trust and a feeling of doom has surrounded moral portrayed towards extant systems. The group exhibition, entitled Terra Nova is based on the study of this crisis, whilst its main organizing power is the notion of a utopia, a concept of rising prominance in the arts. Utopia, if the context of the exhibited work is considered, has become a paradox term of such inner needs, where new space (terra nova) is created in a deadlock position, when we are not able to point out a viable road. Personal strategies for seeking loopholes can be perceived in the works of the participating artists, which also trigger new, arising questions. What is the nature of the power possessing such a reign, that if freed from, an individual is able to imagine and execute new possibilities? Is there a reason to restart, or to build new strategies? Can de facto moral choices be discussed, during the search of new alternatives? How deep is the ignorant behavior and passivity rooted in our culture, which creates an obstacle against both the opposition of power, as well as the founding of a new paradigm.
Most of the exhibited work was created for this exhibition, or has not yet been shown to domestic audience. The exhibition is executed in the spaces of the Gólya Communal House and the Co-operative Presso. The location, with its communal character and the role undertaken by the 8th district, provides a suitable space to study the notion of a utopia and to house a critical dialogue of power.
- "Terra Nova" is a group exhibition that Eszter and I are organizing together.00:00:06.199
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- We are students of the Art Theory and Curatorial Studies MA program00:00:11.091
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- of the Hungarian University of Fine Arts and this will be our diploma project.00:00:15.688
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- The venue is the Golya. The theme of the exhibition is the concept of utopia,00:00:18.738
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- which is emphatically present in contemporary art,00:00:23.498
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- and which we examine in the context of the current crisis.00:00:27.600
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- The Golya is a community center and co-operative cafe,00:00:31.252
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- Their profile includes social sensitivity;00:00:35.281
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- they collaborate with groups, civic initiatives and other local parties00:00:42.839
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- that operate in the same spirit. This is why we chose this place as the venue of our exhibition00:00:51.454
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- with the understanding that this is not a traditionally white cube exhibition.00:00:58.089
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- Importantly, the Golya is located in the area of the 8th District00:01:02.458
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- that borders the city's gentrification project.00:01:07.428
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- So the back part leads to an area that has actually been built and rebuilt already,00:01:13.751
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- while this portion belongs to a part of the 8th District,00:01:19.492
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- where the so called Corvin-Szigony Project has not reached yet.00:01:23.943
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- We examine the concept of utopia in the context of the present crisis.00:01:29.782
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- Concurrently with the recent, multi dimensional economic and financial crises00:01:38.128
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- a kind of cultural crisis has also appeared,00:01:45.999
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- partly as a consequence of the aforementioned crises, and partly in parallel to these.00:01:48.659
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- We are experiencing unpredictability on a global scale.00:01:55.133
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- As a result of our inability to truly understand this complex situation00:01:58.249
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- we cannot plan ahead in our lives. This also results in a significant lack of trust00:02:06.009
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- in the general authorities, as well as in the political and economic elite.00:02:13.339
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- This prompts individuals to attempt to formulate alternative methods in their own lives00:02:19.000
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- that may not be a way out, but a new opportunity, an attempt to00:02:24.702
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- try something different in this situation. These possibilities are always vision-like,00:02:31.547
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- which is why we have brought in the concept of utopia.00:02:38.150
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- According to our observations, the contemporary interpretation of utopia00:02:44.577
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- in large part follows the avant-garde traditions, while also reinterpreting it, in that it00:02:50.900
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- emphasizes not a program-like vision of the future, but the critique of the present.00:02:56.150
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- The new work on display at the exhibition00:03:01.759
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- was created in collaboration with Gergely Laszlo, and is entitled "Stummer Diener".00:03:03.686
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- It is based on the Max Frisch drama originally entitled "Biedermann und die Brandstifter",00:03:08.923
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- which translates as "Biedermann and the Fire Raisers".00:03:14.712
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- In this work, we use seven quotes which, in the original drama, are uttered by the chorus.00:03:17.616
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- We make a historical reference to the Biedermeier period. The reason this is00:03:26.252
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- is of importance to us is because we believe that, in a way, this period still exists today.00:03:31.097
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- It recurs again and again in cycles, like the age of restoration that followed the revolutions.00:03:39.506
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- The work suggests that this continuously keeps repeating, and draws attention00:03:47.284
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- to an approaching danger.00:03:53.860