Culture, Heritage

585,00 M2

About this project

The 585,000 m2 exhibition inspires a dialogue between past and present with the help of nine symbolic squares of the Jewish quarter in the 7th district, Budapest. It also reveals the history of the area with its constant changes starting with the period before World War II to the present day. The title refers to the floor area of the Jewish quarter, the densely populated urban area imbued with urban culture, religious renaissance, and community life. The buildings at the center of the exhibition symbolize the three fundamental areas of Jewish life: sacred places, communal places, and organic small businesses. The curators invited nine young Hungarian artists to reflect on them.

Why is it important?

Videos reflect on the existence and functions of the buildings. They capture the stories of the district through various technical solutions, at one time, in an abstract, and other times, in a direct way. The exhibition also highlights the iconic site's role in shaping history by mediating between past and present, history and art, as well as artist and visitor. The Jewish quarter's diversity is reflected in various artistic strategies by the participating artists. Personal stories are present in these visual works as pieces of collective cultural memory. The exhibition has various artistic, historical, and technical layers.

Why is it special?

The archived photos, the contemporary photos by Éva Szombat, the conceptual videos, and Csaba Kalotás' musical compositions evoking the quarter's atmosphere all invite the visitors to the quarter to discover the exciting and unique level-by-level portraits of each space. These layers reveal the path for the new generation to accept and embrace the past. The Jewish quarter, which has gone through enormous changes in the past decade and is one of Budapest's most important cultural vantage points today, has also shaped the character and the identity of an entire generation, including the participating artists.