Restraint, clarity, white walls and minimalism are the hallmarks of the archivo Pop-Up Photo Gallery, allowing focus to fall on top-quality images.
The names of Bence Bakonyi, Béla Dóka and Bálint Álovits should be familiar to most interested in contemporary Hungarian photography. And it was Bálint whose pioneering initiative created the archivo gallery. Its main purpose is to bring contemporary Hungarian photography to a wider audience.
It’s a concept that has been seen many times abroad. Publishers make limited-editions monographs available, allowing the buyer to receive a small, borderless print of the photographer’s work, signed, and numbered. Thus if you go to the archivo gallery by Christmas, you can not only admire the works of the three young domestic photographers, but if you like one, you can buy it.
According to Bálint Álovits, the initiative is also a a mission. Nowadays in Hungary, if someone has money to spend, they would rather buy clothes, watches or expensive household items, and if they want art, they would rather collect paintings. By opening the archivo gallery, however, Bálint wants to change that mindset.
The trio often show at major international fairs. They sell pictures regularly, but typically abroad. It’s harder to sell a larger photo in Hungary because of the high price tag. This exhibition makes their work more accessible – the works are also available online until 1 January.
Some are part of a limited series, or left out of previous ones. The pictures are of the finest quality and framed in brown oak or white linden wood, so the buyer only needs to take it home and hang it on the wall. With the frame, the photos are 40cm x 25cm. There are only ten examples of every picture, and each sells for 45,000 forints, about €140.
For each purchase, 5% goes the Relief Angels Foundation, dedicated to providing food and entertainment for homeless and disadvantaged children.
If archivo works, another pop-up gallery will open next April in Budapest, with more domestic artists in the frame. A similar gallery will then open in London to promote contemporary Hungarian photography abroad.
District V. Arany János utca 7
Open: Daily until 23 December, noon-9pm
