Roamer

‘In Kulcskeresők (Key Seekers), the play by István Örkény, the Roamer is a mysterious figure with an elusive identity of whom Örkény said he is “our ability to dream”. He is an uninvited benefactor in the housing estate who has no name, appears out of the blue and looks into people’s lives. I have long been fond of this figure. I, too, try to be a bit like this invisible observer while watching people roam the city’s scenery.’ (Lenke Szilágyi)

Lenke Szilágyi’s solo exhibition is dominated by views of the city and its spaces. The opening section of (mostly analogue) black-and-white photographs is followed by a selection of (digital) colour photos. Created over forty years at diverse locations—though mostly in Budapest—the photos are juxtaposed with an unusual sense of liberation. Instead of documenting the scenery, the intention is to reveal the common quality of those who roam about in it in search of their place—which is attained through the dynamics, motifs and rhythms of the sights, the composed images.

It is as if you were looking at the pages of a photo album on the walls: there is a careful order to the structure of the exhibition. This intrinsic order finds its extension into another genre in the form of three photofilms: series of photos that are turned into powerful narratives by the rhythm of the sequencing and the sounds recorded on location in the city.

The figure of the artist, who is active and selected the photos herself, is evoked by an interview made for this occasion, the sections of which are distributed among the rooms.

The works on view have not been exhibited before.

Opening: the 29th of October, 6 pm