Krisztina Erdei

In the midst of the current energy crisis, how do we think about nuclear energy and the search for energy alternatives? Can we imagine energy futures not only without fossil fuel, but also beyond the nuclear? And how do we deal with high-level radioactive waste? Inspired by the three types of rock—salt, clay, and granite—that are considered suitable containers for nuclear waste storage, SALT. CLAY. ROCK. takes a situated and site-specific approach to artistic research. Eight commissioned artists are invited to engage with different places and communities across Germany and Hungary—from tiny villages to industrialized small towns—that host nuclear infrastructures (such as uranium mines, power plants, and waste repositories), or that have been important sites of anti-nuclear resistance.

Artists: Ana Alenso, András Cséfalvay, Krisztina Erdei, Csilla Nagy & Rita Süveges, Sonya Schönberger, Marike Schreiber, Dominika Trapp, Anna Witt

More info about the project: https://saltclayrock.ngbk.de/en

Museum staff, including gallery attendants, ticket sellers, cloakroom attendants, and technical staff, exhibit different characteristics depending on the era, country, or culture. It is important to note that these characteristics may vary widely. There was a time when refined, sophisticated women knitted next to the artworks. Nowadays, young immigrants are often responsible for the works created by the artistic elite in some countries, while still-active retirees choose this relatively calm, predictable, and quiet job to supplement their income in others. 

As part of the project, Viktória Popovics and József Készman asked me to work with lesser-known staff at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest. As a first step, I conducted interviews. The interviews were about previous experiences, museum work, visitor habits and interpretation of contemporary art. Using individual examples that summarised the life experiences of the contemplative workers, I later created still lifes of these quiet lives. I presented them to the participants on 19 December 2023.

To share the many experiences of Ludwig’s lesser-known staff with other staff and managers of the institution, I have created a publication. In addition to portraits and still lifes, the publication contains extracts from interviews. The experiences of the non-curatorial staff provide a perspective close to that of the visitors in understanding and nuancing the discourse on culture. The diverse opinions and life experiences of individuals from a variety of backgrounds provide insights into the Ludwig Museum and the wider art establishment. This contributes to a better understanding of contemporary art and its place in the hierarchy of the art world.

I would also like to thank the staff of the Ludwig Museum for their openness and trust!

Browse the publication here

Teremőrök, jegyeladók, ruhatárosok, technikus munkatársak, vagyis a múzeumok személyzete koronként, országonként, kultúránként más-más jellemzőket mutat. Volt idő mikor deklasszált, elegáns úrinők kötögettek a műtárgyak mellett. Van olyan ország, ahol többnyire bevándorló fiatalok vigyázzák a művészeti elit által létrehozott munkákat és van, ahol a még aktív nyugdíjasok választják ezt a viszonylag nyugodt, kiszámítható, csendes munkakört, hogy kiegészítsék bevételüket.

A projekt során Popovics Viktória és Készman József felkérésére a budapesti Ludwig Múzeum kevésbé ismert dolgozóival kezdtem közös munkába. Először életútinterjúkat készítettem. A beszélgetések alatt külön hangsúlyt kaptak a korábbi tapasztalatok, a múzeumi munka, a látogatók szokásai és a kortárs művészet értelmezése. E szemlélődő munkakörök élettapasztalatait magukba sűrítő egyéni példák alapján végül csendéleteket készítettem, csendéleteket a csendes életekről, melyeket 2023. december 19-én, egy zárt körű eseményen adtam át a résztvevőknek.

A Ludwig kevésbé ismert dolgozóinak sokrétű meglátásait végül egy kiadványban összegeztem, hogy a tapasztalatok az intézmény más dolgozóihoz, vezetőihez is eljusson. A portrék és csendéletek mellett a kiadványban a beszélgetések kivonatait olvashatják. A teremőrök és más, nem kurátori munkakörben dolgozó munkatársak meglátásai olyan nézőpontot hoznak be a kultúra megértésébe és a róla szóló diskurzus árnyalásába, mely közel áll a látogatókéhoz. Gazdag, különböző háttérből megfogalmazott véleményük, élethelyzetük a Ludwig Múzeumról és tágabban a művészeti intézményrendszerről mesél, a kortárs művészet, a szcéna hierarchiájában rögzített szerepek mélyebb megértéséhez segít hozzá.

A kiadvány itt lapozható végig.

HANDLE WITH CARE, 15. SEPTEMBER, 2023 – 14. JANUARY, 2024

Caring is a common experience for all of us, and it shapes our lives from the moment of birth until death. It can be interpreted on the personal level (self-care) or projected onto relationships between people (maternal or parental care, elderly care), but can also be extended to caring for nonhumans and, in a broader sense, for the Earth itself. The multifaceted concept of care also has strong economic and political dimensions: care crisis, care migration, global care chains and their impact are among the most pressing issues of our time.

The exhibition’s title Handle with Care refers to the vulnerability of those in need of care, the asymmetrical relationship between carer and cared for, the fragility of life and our ecosystem, and the cracks and gaps in the social care system, but most of all, it calls attention to the need for collective responsibility. Finally, it can also be applied to the role of the museum itself, which, beyond the careful management of artworks, faces new tasks and challenges that affect society. In a time of multiple crises – social, economic, ecological, health crisis – the exhibition seeks to answer the question of how to interpret the changing notion of care and the role of art (and the museum) in rethinking it. Bearing in mind the original meaning of the word curator (curare: to care, to nurture, to heal), what are the pillars of a ‘caring’ museum? How can an art institution become more sensitive to social issues, more inclusive, more open, more accessible, in short, a more relevant place?

Caring permeates almost every aspect of our social reality today. It is partly in the wake of pandemic COVID-19 that the that both collective and individual care, has been brought into sharper focus than ever before. The pandemic has shed a harsh light on the politics of care, has shown the heavy burden on women, on social workers and the inequality in the gender distribution of caring work. It has also highlighted issues relating to the role of governmental care, the primacy of economic interests and the autonomy of the individual.

This exhibition raises questions rather than providing ready answers to these problems. The different artistic positions take up different points of view and the diversity of the issues raised underlines the fact that care is a key concept of our time with a critical potential that cannot be neglected.

Download the EXHIBITION BOOKLET HERE.

Curators: Rita Dabi-Farkas, Viktória Popovics
Concept: Viktória Popovics

Exhibiting Artists:

BAGLYAS Erika, Maria BARTUSZOVÁ, Oksana BRIUKHOVETSKA, Elina BROTHERUS, Seba CALFUQUEO, Alexandr CHEKMENEV, Phil COLLINS, Anna DAUČÍKOVÁ, EPERJESI Ágnes, ESTERHÁZY Marcell, FAJGERNÉ DUDÁS Andrea, FÁTYOL Viola, Andreas FOGARASI, Coco FUSCO, Anna HULAČOVÁ, Sanja IVEKOVIĆ, KIS Judit, LŐRINCZ Réka, Kateryna LYSOVENKO, MATERNAL FANTASIES, OLÁH Norbert, Oláh Mara OMARA, Kateřina ŠEDÁ, SZÁSZ Lilla, SZENES Zsuzsa, TARR Hajnalka, TRANKER Kata, VÉKONY Dorottya, Stephanie WINTER

Contributors: ERDEI Krisztina, JÁSDI Juli, KÁLLAY Eszter, PÓCSIK Andrea és OLÁH Norbert, RomaMoMA Nomadic Library, Romani Design