IB Visual Arts kiállítás
kurátori leírások

Káldos Anna

Silence is often just as powerful as words. This was something I realised over the past few years when experiencing the effects of suppressed emotions and thoughts in my behaviour and relationships. I noticed that just because something remains unsaid does not mean it disappears, in fact, it can even further intensify. As I became aware of this, I started to spot this pattern more and more often in my environment in the form of unspoken tensions in my family, unaddressed struggles in communities and other larger-scale social issues that remain to be ignored. It has become clear that people often choose silence as they want to avoid conflicts, due to uncertainty about expressing themselves or simply out of fear of the consequences. Therefore, in my exhibition, I chose to display what remained unspoken through art, this way exploring its weight effects and how reflection allows us to confront, understand, and ultimately transform these hidden struggles.

Each artwork represents a different aspect of this concept on a larger and larger scale. The first piece, ‘Still: life’ begins with personal emotions, using a torn and stitched still life to show how suppressed feelings leave lasting marks on us. ‘Growing Through Reflection’ expands this idea to transgenerational trauma, illustrating how unspoken pain is passed down to the next generations. ‘Enchained’ shifts focus to social issues, showing how silence sustains discrimination, and only by addressing these injustices can real change begin to be made. Opposite these artworks, ‘Refraction’, a mosaic of a broken mirror can be seen, which finally involves the viewer and invites them to reflect on themselves. The piece is positioned this way for the reason that most people first pass by it, drawn to the other three pieces. This represents the idea that first, we have to face and reflect on the unspoken struggles and problems presented in the other works to be able to grow from them and even find beauty in the hardships.

Kónya Lilla

As an adolescent woman living in the 21st century, I have experienced the struggles and expectations society places onto women. This exhibition and my artistic journey is personal, but is also from a global perspective, being relatable. It is relatable to women, teenagers, people who have been bullied, abused. In my exhibition I put up a mirror for the abusers and, by representing the below themes, critiquing society’s attitude towards women, I let people know that they are not alone.

I created a closed-off assemblage where the works follow a linear path, tracing society’s attitude toward women, in present and past times, ideal cases and the harsh reality in the worst case scenario. This room symbolizes safety, a crucial, yet often unattainable necessity for women, in which each artwork is a statement on the realities that women face because of society.

Welcoming the viewers, “Unwelcome” is a doormat symbolizing women’s warm, nurturing and caring nature in comparison with society’s attitude towards them. How they are made to feel unsafe in public spaces, when women are the source of safety because of what society dictates.

Following this, “Real?” shows a room of a teenage woman who is living in this societal setting, in our reality, with intense pressures because of school, beauty standards, and body image. Stating that adolescence is a time of identity crisis, which is further intensified by these societal expectations, dictating who an adolescent woman should be. In a pair with this work, comes “Wear HERstory,” a set of ten nail designs featuring famous artworks of women throughout art history. This artwork shows the past society and how oversexualised and objectified women were, and reflects on the similarities and differences in our current one.

From the present and past we move to the celebration of natural beauty of women, positively showing the diversity between body types, skin colours and skin types. “I’mPerfect” is 13 vases, showing just that, with flowers inside them, all symbolising women. This work emphasizes that regardless of appearance, all women are worthy of acceptance and appreciation. As a warning, I finish my exhibition with the work, “Unrecognizable - Altered” , a risograph print series that illustrates the dangerous consequences of societal expectations. The sequence shows a teenage girl’s face gradually transforming into a plastic version, highlighted always with red, alarming all viewers that without respect, identity fades.

Kutas Nóra

In the development of my first-year theme, I struggled to find one which speaks to me and I can engage myself in. I sought something that not only resonates with me but also allows engagement for others. After a personal experience, I realized that monotony was the theme I wanted to examine more deeply. The exhibition takes the viewer on a journey through these contrasting interpretations, starting from a personal aspect to a broader, shared experience.

The exhibition is designed to walk around and between the artworks, inviting the viewer to physically navigate the space as they move through it. The first piece, "Dangling Events," is placed in the middle, acting as the core of the exhibition. This piece represents myself, as the artist, at the heart of this exploration. Initially, I viewed monotony from a negative perspective, trapped in the repetitive cycle of daily life without meaning or change. It reflects a personal event that connects more with me than with the masses, marking the beginning of my exploration into the theme of monotony. To the left, "Failed Attempt" continues this negative exploration of monotony but expands it to include others as well. This work captures the feeling of striving for something new, something to break free from the everyday monotony, only to create new cycles of repetition with the very thing they wanted to break.

As the viewer moves through the exhibition, the point of view shifts with the next piece, "Lost in Gaze.” This piece is positioned across from every other, looking at the works as a soothing, reliable gaze. Here, I began to reinterpret monotony in a more positive light. I realized that even in my own life there are various times when I view monotony positively, in the form of stability and safety. "Lost in Gaze" represents the potential for monotony to provide grounding and a sense of peace, rather than mere repetition.

The final work, "Shield Against the World," explores safety, a theme emerged from "Lost in Gaze." It reflects a sense of safety, experienced by many and is brought to life by a painting inspired by my room: a place where I feel most secure. The piece highlights the universal desire for belonging and protection, a shared human experience. It anchors the exhibition in a global context, emphasizing that safety and belonging are crucial to one’s sense of stability.

Győrffy Lilla

Crossing Paths
This exhibition was born from my daily commute to a new school after moving back home—a time when I existed in between places, surrounded by people yet feeling profoundly disconnected. As I traveled through crowds of strangers, I became an observer, studying fleeting expressions, brief encounters, and the quiet loneliness of shared spaces. These moments shaped my understanding of movement not just as physical travel, but as an emotional journey between isolation and belonging.
The works in this exhibition trace that passage. It begins with montage and photoshoots that capture alienation and loneliness—fragmented faces, solitary figures in transit—mirroring my own sense of displacement. A series of photographs then explores fragile human connections, those glancing interactions that linger just long enough to remind us of our need for contact. At the heart of the exhibition stands a sculpture embodying the intersections of lives that brush past one another, sometimes altering us without warning.
Finally, an AI-generated 18th-century Budapest oil painting—transformed from my own photograph of the city today—anchors the journey in time as much as space. This piece is my reckoning with home: a place that is both familiar and foreign, reshaped by memory and history.
Each piece is rooted in my personal experience of commuting, observing strangers, and my own transition of moving back home. The arrangement simulates the rhythm of a global journey—from isolation to connection, and ultimately, to a layered sense of return.

Transient Realities
This piece presents a layered perspective of urban travel, combining multiple photographic elements into a single montage. By overlapping and juxtaposing different passengers, reflections, and transit maps, I create a fragmented yet interconnected narrative of daily commuting. This work represents how individuals exist in the same space yet remain absorbed in their own worlds. It emphasizes how public transport is both a space of solitude and silent community—a place where paths cross but rarely converge.

Silent Commutes
This series captures the quiet solitude of traveling alone. The images focus on individuals lost in thought, staring out of windows, or immersed in their own internal worlds. The subdued lighting and muted color tones evoke a sense of distance, portraying the isolation that can exist even in crowded spaces. This work reflects my own experiences of moving frequently and trying to find a place of belonging, echoing the emotions of those who seem adrift in the motion of city life.

Between Spaces
This work explores disconnection and emotional detachment in public spaces. Through compositions that include blurred reflections, empty seats, and figures turned away from each other, I highlight the tension between proximity and separation. This photoshoot portrays how, despite being physically close to one another, people often feel emotionally distant. The choice of perspective—framing subjects through doorways, windows, or from the back—creates a sense of watching from the outside, reinforcing the feeling of exclusion.

Fleeting Bonds
In contrast to the previous series, this work captures brief but meaningful interactions between passangers. Whether it is a shared glance, a small gesture, or a couple finding warmth in each other’s presence, these moments symbolize the human need for connection. The spontaneity of these images reflects the unpredictability of life’s crossings—how even the most ordinary encounters can leave lasting imprints on our journeys.

Threads of Fate
This three-dimensional piece consists of two hands reaching towards each other, their fingers connected by a red string following the Budapest Metro Line M2. Inspired by the Japanese "red string of fate" theory, this sculpture represents how our lives are invisibly connected, even if we are unaware of it. The red string does not stop at the hands—it extends along the metro system, intertwining with other lines, symbolizing how human paths constantly intersect. This piece transforms an intimate legend into a broader urban context, reinforcing the exhibition’s theme of destiny and shared movement.

Coming Home
This final piece is a hand-painted oil work of a special location in Budapest, reimagined through a 19th-century aesthetic using AI. By blending past and present, the work becomes a personal reflection on what home means after constant movement. As the last piece in the exhibition, it serves as a metaphorical destination—an arrival point after a journey of loneliness, alienation, and connection. Just as I have spent years moving and searching for belonging, this painting marks the realization that home is not just a place but a feeling of arrival and self-acceptance.