The black-and-white photographs András J. Nagy created as he roamed the planet not only document the diverse environments in which he found himself; more importantly, they tease out the subtile compositions of those places.
András J. Nagy started taking pictures of graffiti using his father’s Leica M4 at the young age of eight. Born in Hungary, he grew up in the South Bronx and South Brooklyn and subsequently lived in various cities on several continents.
The black-and-white photographs András J. Nagy, who is still active, created as he roamed the planet not only document the diverse environments in which he found himself; more importantly, they tease out the subtile compositions of those places. In his photographs meet elements of architecture, consumption, poverty, daily life, nature, decay or human existence. In such transitional places as streets, shops, car parks, construction sites, public transport, passage undergrounds or stopovers one can find those contradictions which characterize Nagys photographs and turn them into a pointed snap-shot of the society we are living in. Those places imply a dialectic meaning: For the ones neutral passages, which they automatically pass by in their daily life, for others like homeless people called „home“ or „living room“. Since his beginnings in photography, András J. Nagy focused on the marginal groups of society – from subcultures to homeless people or drug addicts. Mostly unnoted or even despised, they organize their lives in the shadowy gaps of society. Starting 2010, Nagy captures scenes of the lives of those unwanted homeless residents of the streets of Budapest or other European cities. By using a peephole perspective and with a hidden, self made camera, he puts the beholder in the position of a clandestine observer, encroaching unauthorized on the fragile private sphere of the subject. Their existence is inevitably public, but András J. Nagy’s series conveys dense impressions of touching intimacy.
Opening: March 20, 7:30pm
Exhibition open: March to August 2018
Venue: IWM stairwell (basement to 2nd floor)
Visits: during IWM opening hours, by appointment or at events
FREE ENTRY!
In cooperation with Knoll Galerie Wien + Budapest (www.knollgalerie.at)
