Szent-Iványi Réka

Szent‑Iványi Réka: Untitled

in a larger size

Godot Gallery

Szent‑Iványi Réka: Untitled

There is nothing in it.

Curator: Ruda Szandra

Opening: 9 April 2014 · 20:00

Open until 10 in May, the gallery will be open from Tuesday to Friday 9 to 14, and on Saturday between 10 and 13.

Szent‑Iványi Réka: Untitled

in a larger size

Where does private space begin and where does it end? Whose private space is it? Is it mine or that of the person shown in the photograph? Who is allowed to go where?

Szent‑Iványi Réka: Untitled

in a larger size

Szent‑Iványi Réka’s photographs do not intend to provoke, yet they do. They do not intend to judge, yet they do. They provoke and judge over the viewer, shouting the words “intimate” and “private.” In fact they are “quiet” documents—echoes of the life of a man nicknamed Torgyán, which Szent‑Iványi tenderly slices into our faces in a naturalistic manner. The medium is the negative, the subject the everyday life of Torgyán. Entering the private sphere of the man who lives in a one‑and‑a‑half‑room panel flat with his mother, dog and cat, and confronting the many absurdities of his life, what do we do? The photographs present a dimension where we cannot know, cannot possibly know, how much of this is the man himself and how much is stagecraft, but these layers built upon one another of reality produce the intricate tapestry we define as life—here, Torgyán’s private life. Between the four walls of the home, the events unfolding within us and within ourselves affect only one person: ourselves. Looking into such events is an intimate act, bound by the permission of the person who steps forward. We give permission and receive permission, invoking the collision of intimate spaces in doing so. Where does someone step in?

Szent‑Iványi Réka: Untitled

in a larger size

The images in the series are like a strong weed, they wrap around, grab, hug, and leave you. These images get implanted in your private space and hold you accountable.

Who are you going to flirt with? You’ll be foolish.

There is nothing in it.

Szent‑Iványi Réka: Untitled

in a larger size

The exhibition is not recommended for those under 18 years.

The exhibition is realised within the Young People's Photography Studio’s Overlook 2 exhibition and programme series.