At the residency in Hungary, I planned to work on several specific projects, but I periodically got distracted by small tasks. One day, I really wanted to continue the Nature Make-up project, but with some response to the space I was in. I was looking for an option with which flower I associate Hungary, and while I was preparing dinner, it struck me that it was pepper. Hungarian cuisine is quite peppery and spicy, so all the pepper was eventually used a bit differently.
"In Transcarpathia, even in the 20th century, according to the observations of F. Potushnyak, peasants would remove their hats, cross themselves, and recite a prayer when they saw the sunrise. They believed in the existence of an immeasurable, irrational force capable of adjusting the course of their lives. They did not need rational or scientific evidence to confirm the myth of the sun's omnipotence; it was associated with higher purity and wisdom, serving as an ideal, a deity figure that people sought within themselves as an inner light/goodness. Thus, the concept of inner light/goodness/wisdom was projected onto the image of the celestial luminary." — Tykhovska Oksana, Magic and Mythology in Ukrainian Folklore of Transcarpathia: An Ethnopsychological Aspect
"Each piece of lace tells a story. These beautiful doilies, which I acquired from Hungarian grandmothers (trifted for few cents at flea markets), are true treasures of craft culture. Although many Hungarians see them as relics of the past, to me they are a source of inspiration and art. Every knot, every pattern preserves memories and traditions that deserve our respect and attention."
Native DIY hand-knitted gloves, which I bought at an antiquarian flea market, now transformed with my artistic intervention. These delicate gloves, crafted with an intricate open-knit pattern, have been adorned with small treasures I found during my residency. Hanging from the fingertips are tiny shells, a soap nuts, snail shell and stones, each carefully chosen for its natural beauty and symbolic significance. These objects, collected from various moments and places, are now integrated into the fabric of the gloves, turning them into a wearable music instrument.
For Budapest gallery
residency
April Mai 2024
residency
April Mai 2024