Mystique – Zeitgeist exhibition
In the Zeitgeist exhibition, the works of the artists participating in last year’s second cycle are shown organized into four parts.
The exhibiting young contemporary artists created their works using the broadest range of the photographic toolkit and applying a diversity of techniques and new media. Their pieces deal with current issues and the problems of our environment as well as topics concerning their generational scope of interest. According to the curatorial concept, the artworks within Zeitgeist are presented in a thematic order organized under four titles: Post-truth, Anthropocene, Mystique, and Identity. The totality of the works together represent the Zeitgeist, or the spirit of our times defining the way of thinking, the aspirations, and the objectives of people living in the first quarter of the 21st century. (Judit Gellér and Emese Mucsi, curators)
MYSTIQUE
When the scientific crisis of our times kicked in, predicting imminent global ecological disaster for the 21th century, previously incontestable facts and laws became objects of doubt and off-mainstream spiritual, ritual and magical practices started to re-gain ground. Spiritual topics grew in popularity to such extents only in the biggest periods of crisis, the last occurrences being World War I and World War II.
The series exhibited in this section typically investigate everyday spiritual or ritual routines that constitute integral parts of our contemporary life. Certain works deal with the coping responses given to crises of different scales, and with the related topic of self-awareness, experimenting with the analysis and visual representation of situations of stress and anxiety together with their ritual remedies (Nils Stelte); giving insight to the unconscious mind in the framework of hypnotherapy sessions held in the hope of finding mental solutions (Louisa Boeszormeny); or by presenting a ritual – in which dreams play an essential role – conducted by a Southern African shaman called sangoma (André Viking Andersen). Beside self-healing practices, there also appear images of a more profane ritual, the pig slaughter, which is known as one of the most ancient community rites handed down in varying forms for millennia (Fabio Cunha). Finally, we can see projects concerning more intimate family rituals, typically taking place in one’s home, like exploring the adventurous story behind a mysterious vernicular photograph depicting a house, the former home of the family, standing in Salem city known for its witch trials (Laura Konttinen); grieving and letting go of objects and places related to the life and death of a beloved person (Ana Zibelnik); and re-interpreting traditional practices and superstitions regarding the prevention of risks relating to fertility, pregnancy, and child-birth (Roisin White).
A part of these artists strive for objectivity and documentary standards in their representations of modern rituals; others tend to experiment with subjective viewpoints and lyrical takes on the mystical and spiritual themes that prove hard to grasp with ordinary means. (Emese Mucsi, curator)
Artists: Louisa BOESZOERMENY (DE), Fábio CUNHA (PT), Laura KONTTINEN (FI), Nils STELTE (DE), André VIKING (DK), Roisin WHITE (IE), Ana ZIBELNIK (SI)