Performing ideality

What do the Hungarian National Museum, a surprisingly charming bronze bearings shop and a Muslim women’s martial arts club have in common? The very neighborhood that inspired us to bring them all together under one roof in a contemporary art space: Budapest’s vibrant 8th district.

The aim of the collaborative exhibition is to offer a snapshot of the sociocultural topography of the once highly stigmatized area, and examine the district through the eyes of local civil society. An increasing number of community-based initiatives prove that the neighborhood has become a catalyst of sorts – a nexus for artists, social activists and determined volunteers alike, who in an effort to facilitate positive change in the area have directly or indirectly shaped the neighborhood’s hybrid identity. We view their enterprise as striving towards an “ideality” that is, in effect, “no longer lying dormant somewhere in the future, but is concretely acted out or taking place here and now with every human gesture.”[1]

By introducing the work of our invited participants and collecting personal impressions of the neighborhood, the exhibited material not only contributes to a more tangible understanding of the district, it also wishes to engage local inhabitants, workers, artists and newcomers. Just as importantly, the unusual juxtaposition of works – featuring iconic streets and pressing social initiatives – all provide vivid imprints of the “here and now” in an otherwise rapidly changing district. The exhibition is also intended to pay tribute to local civil society actors and serve as a platform for further discourse.

In the spirit of the holiday season – and as a friendly gesture to strengthen our newfound partnerships – we are organizing an exchange of symbolic gifts among those featured in the exhibition. The celebration will take place during the opening ceremony.

Participants: Aurora, Gólya Community Place and Cooperative Pub, Kesztyűgyár – Rozi Csámpai Painting Workshop, School of Public Life, MICRO Magdolna, Pneuma Szöv. – Mókus Maxi, Uccu Roma Informal Educational Foundation