‘“Recently, along with my mother and sister, I visited my grandmother in Budapest. During dinner I asked her: “Grandma, why was there never a strike to change the working conditions of the factory when you worked there?” My mother interrupted me intensely, “Dóra! You cannot imagine what it was like back then! Before hundreds of people were on strike, you need a number of people who get the idea started. But at that time, you were being constantly watched and risked being taken away and losing your ear. You grew up so freely that you can’t imagine what it is like not being able to say what you [removed]#8221; Then I kept my mouth shut.”’
Dóra Benyó moved from Hungary to the Netherlands as a child, and as a result grew up among the two cultures and got to know them both up close. Her background has a great influence on her work. In her practice she questions how images and stories are censored. She traces her genealogy, digs into stories mainly related to her Hungarian origins, rewrites those experiences and puts them in a new light.
The title ‘Where do we put the bug?’ refers to the first chapter of the Hungarian documentary Az Ügynök élete (The Life of an Agent) by Gábor Zsigmond Papp in which he shows how secret agents used to work in Budapest during the Soviet regime. The film is made from the original secret archive material and reveals the instructions behind how they observed people.
For the solo exhibition at Cunst-link in Brussels Dóra presents the results of her research into her grandfather’s past – a man who was surveilled for decades because of his position as an oppositional politician during the Soviet regime – in video, paintings and happenings by undercover performers. By comparing personal and political stories she investigates the way we transfer information and the defects in communication systems.
Dóra invited the musician Carrageenan to create a new music piece that is inspired by the works of her current exhibition.
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Where do we put the bug? [Où pose-t-on la puce?] est une citation tirée du premier chapitre du film documentaire hongrois Az Ügynök élete [La vie d’un Agent secret] de Gábor Zsigmond Papp qui présente, à travers des archives secrètes originales, le travail d’agent secret à Budapest sous le régime soviétique et donne des instructions à son auditoire pour observer les gens efficacement. Pour son exposition personnelle à Cunst-link, Dóra montre les résultats auxquels l’ont mené ses recherches dans le passé de son grand-père, un homme qui a été mis sous surveillance pendant des décennies à cause de son rôle d’opposant politique. A travers des vidéos, des peintures et des performances secrètes, l’exposition met en vis-à-vis des histoires personnelles et politiques, et questionne la façon dont on transfère l’information et les défauts des systèmes de communication.
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Practical info / infos pratiques:
The exhibition is open on Sundays / l’exposition est ouverte les dimanche 14:00 – 18:00
et par rendez-vous / and by appointment :
Special Opening hours / Ouvertures spéciales :
Brussels Gallery Weekend | 3, 4, 5 & 6 September | 14:00 – 18:00
Finissage | Sunday 20 September | 14:00 – 18:00
with live musical performance by Carrageenan
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Dóra Benyó is one of the resident artists of SB34.
⎐ Cunst-link is one of the artistic shared spaces of Artist Commons Brussels
⎐ With the kind support of / Avec le soutien de FWB, Vedett & Sparkling Solutions
In order to comply with the current hygiene measures we invite you to bring your mask. During the opening and finissage we will take care to not exceed the max number of people allowed. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation!
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Image : painting detail © Dóra Benyó
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