Group exhibiton with works by Noémi Kinga Ács , Emese Kádár, Martha Kicsiny, Eszter Júlia Kuzma, Péter Papp at K11 Lab in Budapest.
Sanga ni wati / Every time of space
23 January – 20 February, 2024
Artists: Noémi Kinga Ács , Emese Kádár, Martha Kicsiny, Eszter Júlia Kuzma, Péter Papp
Curators: Miriam Sékou Coulibaly, Keszegh Ágnes
K11 Lab, Budapest
The main title of the exhibition, “sanga ni wati” roots in Bambara language, which roughly means “every time of space” or simply "always." This concept explores the presence of memory across times of existence, verbally embodying the collision of being and non-being and the perpetual possibility of returning independently of ages, taking always changing but somehow still consistent shapes through cultures regarding words and forms. It possesses a topographical quality that, through its social embedment, embraces the motif of Paradise as the site of perpetual longing.
Regarding the above, our exhibition seeks to capture the relationship between the eternal desire and aspiration for attaining Paradise and artistic solutions through visual arts. One of the fundamental goals of our existence is to achieve a state of perfect bliss. However, in our technology-saturated society, the identification with the paradisiacal, natural experience becomes increasingly challenging. Human reality suffers from alienation from its own socially determined world, it is almost impossible for us to imagine our lives without virtual presence. Due to various mediatic processes, our memory embeds itself in fragmented virtualities, whether it be a mental phenomenon or the digital preservation of our memories.
Through memory that transcends space and time, the exhibition blurs and dissolves the boundaries between realized and idealized Eden. This enables the artists of the exhibition to evoke the sense of Paradise and, by breaking it down into moments, make it perceptible in its process.
The feeling of nostalgia appears on multiple levels in the exhibition. Kinga Noémi Ács's work symbolizes the contemporary human's longing and self-discovery towards the Garden of Eden. In her installation, she invites the audience to engage in self-reflective play, wandering through the inner labyrinth. Emese Kádár opens a channel for the active experience of nostalgic memory by representing physical and virtual dimensions.
The exhibited works also attempt to resolve the tension brought about by alienation through the illusory possibility of returning to Paradise. Martha Kicsiny captures the cycle of expulsion and the perpetual restlessness of human existence through her works, shaping its restlessness bound by desire into form. This conceptual schema is related to Péter Papp's organic interconnections, which reflect on the relationship between humans and nature, and Eszter Júlia Kuzma's works, where the longing to return to the pre-expulsion state and the symbolism of purifying fire coexist. While engaging with their works, the individual breaks free from the web of space and time, that is, from the infinite cycles of human experience, and settles into undisturbed spiritual tranquility.
Photo:: Boglárka Éva Zellei