In and out of focus—photos of the Hungarian edgelands

In and out of focus—photos of the Hungarian edgelands

Who and how do people live in areas far from the cities? Photographers Marcell Piti and Dániel Halász focused their eyes and cameras on landscapes far from the centers and out of focus: they documented the locales, people, and objects of the edgelands. Now we can take a look at the world of the Hungarian edgelands from the middle of the Budapest hubbub.


At the Pest bridgehead of the Elisabeth Bridge, a bus passes by every minute, traffic is buzzing on the six-lane Szabad sajtó Way, groups of tourists and Budapest residents come and go on the sidewalk, and the area is dotted with dozens of cafés, bars, restaurants, and shops. This is what the center of a European city looks like. If we descend into the exhibition space of the MyMuseum Gallery in Három Holló Café, the traffic and the rush stop at once, and silence prevails. Here, the bus stands in the middle of the flowery field, with sheep roaming the pasture, and one can even sleep in the shade of a woodpile.

Dániel Halász: You Were Never Really Here, 2020, digital print, courtesy of MyMuseum Gallery
Marcell Piti: Their Own Masters, 2021, digital print, courtesy of MyMuseum Gallery

MyMuseum Gallery’s Edgeland exhibition presents a series by two contemporary Hungarian photographers, Dániel Halász and Marcell Piti. Both of them photographed rural settlements and lowland farms where the small population lives partly or completely derives its living from agricultural work. The pictures show the coexistence of man and animal, the combination of nature and modern technology, and the spaces and tools of work and everyday life. The images of the two photographers were placed next to each other in the same form, so it is impossible to tell who took which picture (unless we take a look at the floor plan of the exhibition.) This curatorial decision also emphasizes the creators’ common choice of topic and approach.

Edgeland exhibition, courtesy of MyMuseum Gallery
Edgeland exhibition, courtesy of MyMuseum Gallery

In addition to the similarities, there is also an important difference between the two series. While Dániel Halász visited the smallest settlements in Hungary for his work You Were Never Really Here, with less than a hundred inhabitants and where people have lived in the same place for generations, the series entitled Their Own Masters by Marcell Piti presents people who moved from the city to the countryside or farms as a result of a conscious decision. This probably creates a fundamentally different attitude in relation to land, animals, production, and rural life, and—although common phenomena occur here as well—this is reflected in the material culture, the environment, or even the leisure time.

Today, more than half the population of the world lives in cities. The current global trend shows that this number will continue to increase, with 75% of the inhabitants expected to live in cities by 2050. If we consider this, we can see that Dániel Halász captured a disappearing world, and Marcell Piti took photos of people in defiance of the majority. In the middle of current challenges, which also significantly affect the urban lifestyle, it is worth paying attention to and looking out to this land, which may be on the periphery, but it is just as valuable as the center.

Dániel Halász: You Were Never Really Here, 2020, digital print, courtesy of MyMuseum Gallery

The exhibition is on view between 24 September 2022 and 27 October 2022
MyMuseum Gallery, Három Holló Café, middle floor (1 Piarista Alley, 1052 Budapest)
Curator: Tünde Török

Cover photo: Their Own Masters by Marcell Piti, 2021, digital print, courtesy of the MyMuseum Gallery

more to read
A Mexican hotel with a pool under its arches
architecture

A Mexican hotel with a pool under its arches

Architect Ludwig Godefroy used a range of visual and conceptual ideas to create the Casa To hotel in Mexico, while also commissioning local craftsmen to create the furniture. The most impressive feature of the building, however, is undoubtedly the swimming pool running under the arches. Located in an idyllic setting,
A trio of crumbling towers makes Amsterdam even more remarkable
mvrdv

A trio of crumbling towers makes Amsterdam even more remarkable

MVRDV, architecture and urban design firm, is building the Valley skyscraper in Amsterdam’s Zuidas district. The three towers, shaped by apartments of unusual, almost dramatic design covered in greenery, rise 67, 81, and 100 meters above the city. A ‘green valley’ meanders between the three buildings, starting at the
“Folk art is bursting with power.” – 10 questions for Дeva
hungary

“Folk art is bursting with power.” – 10 questions for Дeva

Dorina Takács, a. k. a. Дeva, embarked on her solo electro folk project in 2019, infusing her music with the energies of nature and floral motifs. As a child, Dorina was surrounded by music: she sang in a choir, studied piano and solfège, and even formed a band called ROOM11