For me, Trianon…

The recent project of the Teleport Gallery investigates the impact of the Trianon Treaty on the young and mid-generation artists of the region. Does Trianon mean anything for the artist of the neighbouring countries, and if yes, to what extent is it visible in their ouevre? Are we able to start a conversation about the annexations, but avoid the nationalist discourse? Do those Hungarians who live on the other side of the border have a different point of view than those who are not members of minority groups? The disappearance and reappearance of borders, the questions of emigration and immigration, dual nationality and the possibility of opening towards neighbouring countries give a wider frame and relevancy to our starting point.

We asked the participating artists to send us objects which are either personal or considered as important in relation to Trianon and its effect on their everyday and artistic attitudes. This collection, which is extremely personal and intentionally not composed of artworks, will be presented in the form of an exhibition. The way these objects find their way to Budapest plays an important role in the project – to use the backpack as a metaphor for mobility, the participants must pack their consignments into any kind of bag or package. This incidental set of objects could draw a mental map, where the reflections of the artists could be influenced either by their minority or majority point of view, by their generational affiliations or their political opinion.

The exhibition will be complete with short interviews of the participants which will be published online during the OFF Biennale. Our goal is to trigger dialogue with the help of the reflections of the invited artists about the possibility of living peacefully next to each other and about the necessity to overcome old wrongs. The project provides an opportunity to formulate new, different thoughts about this topic, which is usually owned by conservative and radical right-wing groups, by placing it in the context of contemporary art.

Online content available throughout OFF-Biennale.

Participating artists: Anca Benera & Arnold Estefan; Anetta Mona Chissa & Lucia Tkacova; Dávid Demeter ; Nikita Kadan; Csilla Nagy ; Olja Triaška; Lana Stojicevic; Júlia Nizák (graphic design)

Curators: Tamás Don, Flóra Gadó, Ferenc Margl, Vanda Sárai