The distinct imagination and outlook of life that the Roma people have shares a common footing with Hungarian history at countless points, adding colour to the way we view things, as well as to our art, music and imagery. We are trying to raise awareness about this phenomenon – which constitutes an organic part of our national culture – with our outdoor exhibit, at the same time calling attention to the highly diverse way in which Roma artists contribute to the development of our contemporary imagery.

Our outdoor exhibit is built around three visual subjects:

Get some Culture!
This subject field is made up of 40 painting reproductions, containing interesting and exciting works painted by Roma painters in the last four decades. Looking at the paintings opens the door to the Roma’s picturesque symbol system and world of colours: contributing artists range from Tamás Péli, through István Szentandrássy all the way to the youngest Roma painters. A substantial part of the subject matter is built around the material of the recently published “Gypsy Paintings Hungary 1969-2009” art album.

Chachipe Youth
The exhibition presents a selection of 40 photographs from the Chachipe Youth international photography contest which was launched in November 2008 by the Open Society Institute and the Open Society Archives. Chachipe means truth or reality in Romanes. The competition invited submissions from young people across 12 countries participating in the Decade of Roma Inclusion. The contest sought to combat negative stereotypes, break with prejudiced portrayals and, through the lens of young people, present a more complex and more nuanced depiction of Europe's largest ethnic minority, the Roma.

I am Gypsy
Our third block plays with turning art historical and pictorial historical style elements inside out. Terri Potoczna, London born photo artist whose ancestors are from Poland, invited Hungarian Roma to volunteer as models, choosing characters from well-known paintings and donning their personality. His series of photos counts as a curiosity, as he makes Roma living in Hungary nowadays the protagonists of famous European paintings, the portraits of emblematic paintings by Vermeer and Caravggio. The artist selected 9 emblematic pictures from her “photo-paintings” for this outdoor exhibit."

Source: torokfurdo.hu

Photo: Bada Márta: Vízitündér (1988.)