I AM NEITHER HERE, NOR THERE
My first independent exhibition, accompanied by Péter Molnár’s poems, at Auróra Budapest.
“I am somehow hovering between the two. At one time I am closer to the present, at one I am in my association to it” (Levente Lukács)
The title, ‘I am neither here, nor there’, refers to a state of being, that is marked by one’s incessant quest, and consists of the multitude of question marks and unbeaten paths. One is neither here, nor there when locked away from the world in search of their place and companion, being disconnected, as they are.
Helga Haiman is currently studying Film and Literature at the University of Warwick in England. The primary subjects of her works are man, his emotions, and the internal battle of the two. Through this, the visual interpretation of the relationship between man and man also appears in Helga’s artwork. Throughout her career, she has always aimed for a poetic mode of expression which implies that her images carry metaphoric meanings. They portray the chaotic realm of emotions that invites the audience to interpret them with free association.
The theme of this exhibition is the self-image, the body, and its internal relations, whose various forms and meanings are evoked through the performance of Hungarian dancers, Levente Lukács and Réka Rácz.
Our relationship with our bodies is determinative for several reasons, as it is crucial to our own self-consciousness, the formation of our identity as well as to our relatedness to others and the space surrounding us. In some way, we keep inspecting, interpreting, and transforming our bodies with a certain type of alertness that we never truly forgo. In the midst of an ever-changing world, can we preserve our attachment to our body? Is this where the harmony lies? Helga’s pictures seek the answer to such a dilemma.
Genesis
Paradiso
Inferno
Arcadia
The concept is the product of a period marked by being uncertain and lost. It primarily sought to reflect on the lack of liberty and the isolation that the pandemic brought. However, it soon developed into a universal message that could be interpreted beyond its original context as we are all exploring our true selves and place in the world. Searching is not enough though; one has to create this place. Helga Haiman’s photography portrays this process – from creation to creation – through four storylines.
Genesis; “Taking the first sips of life’s dew” - The biblically inspired title dissects the paradoxical beginnings of ‘something out of nothing’, a state in which one sees oneself reflected on the unknown surrounding them. The images in the series recall the origin; the anxious discomfort of the nescience, the first state of awakening to consciousness.
Paradiso; The story continues with one finding a partner but the collaboration fails. The lack of intimacy and the impossibility of having a collective comfort are depicted in the pictures. The lesson is clear; finding our presence in others is not the right direction.
Inferno; The struggle of uncomfortable coexistence is washed away by the desire to break up. The continuous poisoning of each other and the inability to resonate are transformed into frustration. One present, rising alone above the afflictions, is freed. Without his partner, the other falls helplessly into oblivion.
Arcadia; ‘The Bypassed Paradise’. In Helga’s interpretation, this conveys the soul working in harmony with itself and the world; the end of the journey. The final step in the narrative places emphasis on the difference between loneliness and being alone; our protagonist is alone, but she found herself, and awoke to consciousness.
More than 200 people turned up at the events held around the exhibition.
Vera Köböl, a professional graphist, designed an art publication from the content of the exhibition.
You can read more about the exhibition in Sziszi Andrássy's writing.