Landing, an international group exhibition, invites visitors to take a contemplative step towards the many forms and meanings of arrival through the specific world of the works on display – paintings, drawings and sculptures.
The English term itself, although of Germanic origin, meaning earth or soil, when interpreted as a verb, inevitably implies not only the presence of another, essentially different dimension, whether it be a surface of water or air, but also their encounter. But its English equivalent also refers to the flat space between the steps, the landing, where one can rest and catch one’s breath before moving from one level to the next.
Either way, the term implies a condensed meeting of two states that, though opposing, allow each other: being in motion and then staying still, or vice versa. One could say that arrival can only be experienced if there has been a journey, that ‘transit’ can only occur if the nature of the planes that carry us changes, that the joy of being received can only be experienced if we enter another, alien environment, and that the sense of home can only be experienced if we come into contact with something alien.
This kind of arrival can be into an inspirational creative or an empathic, contemplative, receptive state; into a different cultural dimension; into a reflective life situation; reaching a fulfillment, a destination, a milestone or a fork in the road. But it is also an arrival at a new exhibition space, a shared interpretive framework, encouraging us as creators and viewers to rethink and question our own place and role in the world.
Are we on our way or have we landed somewhere?
Katerina Belkina, Péter Borkovics, Vince Briffa, Áron Gábor, Dániel Kiss, Christoph Mayer, Alois Mosbacher, Balázs Sipos