SUMMARY– 2018/2
Sándor Bacskai: From 6x6 Negatives to Mobile Apps - Interview with Miklós Tamási, Editor of Fortepan Online Photo Archives FORTEPAN is undoubtedly one of the most significant private photography collections in Hungary. This interview with Miklós Tamási reveals the spark behind the creation of the archives: what sort of personal affections and social aim inspired the archives containing more than 100,000 photographies at present. It also talks about the initial steps, the circumstances of online appearance, and the tasks and sources of the archives. The article unveils the working methods and discusses the issue of the rights involved. It also demonstrates the importance of the existence of such archives from the perspective of the collective remembrance of the society.
Rita Somosi: Without a Lens Experiments in Medium Theory in the Photo Series of Viktória Balogh and Máté Dobokay Máté Dobokay and Viktória Balogh belong to the youngest generation of photographers. Their works generated quite a stir upon their début. Their art projects bring a new type of conceptual approach. The subjects of Viktória Balogh's queries are personal; her attitude is passionate, and her manner of interrogation is highly intellectual. Each of her series presented was a surprise as well as proof of her being a prolific and versatile photographer. Máté Dobokay identifies himself not so much as a photographer, but rather as a visual or fine artist working with the medium of photography. He quickly diverged from classical photography: he does not reproduce reality but construes it. It is not a sight or a moment that he wants to capture; he is intrigued by the possible ways to use photographic raw materials. Imaging is a real creative action for him: he works with chemicals in the photo lab, and his experiments with materials are obligatory milestones of his way of thinking and his creative process.
Leila Sajjadi: Observing the City Softly The article 'Observing the City Softly' explores the life and work of one of Iran's most active and celebrated young Iranian photographers Sasan Abri. Living and working in a challenging region and in a country which is under constant transformation, Sasan Abri has developed a unique language to communicate his emotional view of his world through portraying his home city, to express his hopes and fears for the future while observing his environment closely. This intimate article delves into the artist's outstanding series to date and the everyday life of an artist on the verge of becoming a significant artistic voice among his peers.
Júlia Standovar: Volta Photo Yossi Milo Gallery recently opened a show called Volta Photo by Sanlé Sory, who is a 75 years old West African photographer whose work became known only recently He documented Burkina Faso's cultural scene from the 60s by capturing photographs with a twin-lens Rolleiflex 6x6 camera. His pictures show how the country and the people formed a new identity after gaining their independence from France. "He is a democratic photographer, young, old, rich and poor ..." - said Florent Mazzoleni the French music producer, collector and journalist who discovered Sanlé Sory's work. But why did he become popular and successful now? Currently, he has two solo shows, one in Chicago at the Art Institute of Chicago and New York at Yossi Milo Gallery.
Zsófia Somogyi-Rohonczy: Infant(ile) Photography In recent months there were quite a few exhibitions in Budapest where the central theme was the child or the family. In this article, Zsófia Somogy-Rohonczy discusses the approaches of creators who presented their works at three exhibitions. Mariann Reisman's photos were displayed in ArtPhoto Gallery, the pictures of French photographer and sculptor Alain Leboile focusing on his own family were exhibited at Budapest Photo Festival while Ata Kandó's series taken in the company of her children were presented at one of the exhibitions of Deák 17 Gallery. Few theoretical pieces deal with the appearance of children in photos, and this article fills the void to some extent.
János Palotai: Icons Péter Kornis and Imre Benkő are both iconic figures of Hungarian photography. In his article, János Palotai compares the Ózd series of Péter Benkő and the "The Guest Worker" series of Péter Korniss while analysing the two creative attitudes and approaches as well as the reflexions of the series on the age in which they saw the light. Besides examining the two series and presenting their artistic background, the article discusses at length the question of the creators' social responsibility.
Márton Mészáros: To Free from the Shadow Photojournalist György Lajos was commemorated in December by his admirers, friends and acquaintances on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of his decease. I was lucky enough to have known the artist quite well, who passed away at the age of seventy-three: as family friend and a sort of (grand)father-figure, he taught me about the love of nature, empathy, the patience-intensive beauty of hunting and fishing as well as not to wobble the camcorder and the camera during recording or exposure. György Lajos, who lived a secluded life in Balatongyörök, began his professional career in 1953, at the age of nineteen at the Hungarian Photo Company. His career reached its peak during the thirty-seven years spent in the photo editorial staff of the legal successor, the Hungarian News Agency (MTI). Similarly to Cartier-Bresson, "Uncle Gyuri" regarded photography as a lifestyle, so when in 1990 he set down the camera once and for all, he did not retire but changed lifepaths. Although some labelled his oeuvre as "stereotypical", most of his works tingle with sophistication and softness. He was a sensitive soul, a passionate and meticulous artist: it would be high time for his long-overdue rediscovery.
Marianna Kiscsatári: "My Pictures are Pebbles in the Hands of a Child Skipping Stones on the Seashore" - Image(Trans)Script - Photo-Plays by Richárd Széman The photos of Richárd Széman give an insight into a personal and surreal universe. Marianna Kiscsatári's article lets the reader in on the particular aspects of the pictures and the artist's approach. Parallel to that, she discusses the most characteristic series of Richárd Széman as well as those sources of inspiration that led to their creation. The article written in a personal tone is complete with original haikus from the photographer himself, thus making the reader's impression of him more comprehensive.
Orsolya Elek: André Kertész's diary and the beginning his photographic oeuvre This article presents an unknown and misinterpreted historical source, André Kertész's diary from 1912. It aims to reveal new aspects about the beginnings of the Hungarian-born photographer's career and explain that the conventional discourse on how Kertész started to take photographs should be reconsidered. Created by the artist himself and repeatedly told by art historians through the years, the story on how the young Kertész was inspired by photography since he was 6 years old - and was frustrated by waiting for his first salary to be able to buy himself his very first camera - is just not confirmed by primary sources. Therefore, argues the author, we should be more attentive to the ways how Kertész' life-narrative was constructed, and not to its questionable truth value.
Mihály Surányi: 100 Years of Photography and Abstract Art - Tate Modern Tate Modern has organised an exhibition with the ambition to overview the more than century-long history of abstract photography. An essential feature of the show is that it wishes to present this story through the history of abstract art. Even though the concept itself is not revolutionary, the exhibition featuring more than 350 works has some novel aspects to offer. The article reports in detail about the works displayed, considerations for the arrangement, and the artists and oeuvres that the author found the most interesting.
Béla Albertini: A flawed plan of a photo book - part 2: total failure The story that was started in the previous number takes the reader to 1925. One of the results of the post-World War I consolidation could have been the publication of a collective volume of the photographers of the age, a project initiated by an Austrian publisher. This article by Béla Albertini tells the end of the story: why and how this initiative fell through. Based on the rich source material, the report presents the role of Sándor Fejérváry, the editor of "Fotóművészeti Hírek" and his efforts toward the appearance of the album. As the album did not appear, the article also elaborates on the possible consequences of this fiasco on the international perception of Hungarian photography between the two World Wars.
Zoltán Fejér: photokina Zoltán Fejér shares preliminary information about the photokina fair, summing up the essential changes by which the organisers of the trade fair wish to keep up with the accelerating digital evolution.
