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PANEL DISCUSSION: GROTESK – THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF EASTERN EUROPE

GROTESK: THE COMMON LANGUAGE OF EASTERN EUROPE

Is the absurd the secret to solidarity in the region?

Round table discussion and screening

TUESDAY, 10 FEBRUARY, 7 PM

in English language
admission with valid exhibition ticket

Please register with: anmeldung@westlicht.com

Can a shared history and sense of the absurd help nations cooperate? As Polish-American historian Jacob Mikanowski points out in his book, “prolonged acquaintance with history at its most extreme has given Eastern Europeans an extraordinary fluency in the absurd.”

Join us for an engaging roundtable discussion exploring the grotesque not just as an artistic style, but as a resilient attitude and a common language that transcends borders and political divides. In a world facing global challenges like the climate crisis, we look beyond national frameworks to find solidarity through the unique lens of Eastern European humor and visuality.

The event features a special screening of 100 photographs by 20 contemporary artists from 6 Eastern European countries, offering a surprising perspective on our shared reality. Come and discover how the generosity of art and the power of the absurd can elevate us above daily concerns and inspire regional cooperation by bridging gaps.

Participants:
•   István Virágvölgyi, curator, artistic director, Robert Capa Center Budapest (Hungary) https://www.viristvan.com
•   Reiner Riedler, photographer (Austria) https://reinerriedler.com
•   Jacob Mikanowski, writer, historian, fellow of Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (USA) https://jacob-mikanowski.com
•   Éva Szombat, photographer (Hungary) https://www.evaszombat.com

Moderator:
• Anna Wallner, Journalist, Head of New Media, Die Presse https://www.diepresse.com/von/anna-wallner

Zoli (a.k.a. DJ Galactic Jackson) fulfills a childhood dream through his vast collection of vintage synthesizers and records, echoing his devotion to 1990s electronic music, 2015 © Éva Szombat

About the GROTESK photography project:

GROTESK project is realized in the collaboration of Summa Artium (Budapest, Hungary), Fotofestiwal (Łódź, Poland), Fotograf Zone (Prague, Czech Republic) and OFF Bratislava (Bratislava, Slovakia).

Concept: István Virágvölgyi, Capa Center (Budapest, Hungary)

Featured photographers: HUNGARY: Csilla Klenyánszki, Hórusz Archive (Sándor Kardos) Éva Szombat, László Török, Zsuzsi Ujj; CZECHIA: Oskar Helcel, Dita Pepe, Iren Stehli; SLOVAKIA: Andrej Balco, Martin Kollár, Zuzana Pustaiová, Viktor Šelesták; POLAND: Zbigniew Libera, Natalia LL, Rafał Milach, Agnieszka Sejud; ROMANIA: Mihai Barabancea, Tamás Hajdu; UKRAINE: Alexander Chekmenev, Boris Mikhailov

The GROTESK project is co-financed by the governments of Czechia, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia through Visegrad Grants from the International Visegrad Fund. The mission of the fund is to advance ideas for sustainable regional cooperation in Central Europe.

https://www.summa-artium.hu/grotesque.eastern.europe

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https://www.instagram.com/grotesque.eastern.europe