ISTVÁN SZIRÁNYIPASSION - DESIREFLYING AND SELF EXPOSURE01.06 - 12.06.1976

ISTVÁN SZIRÁNYI from Hungary exhibits at Galerie S:t Petri, Lund, from 1–16 June 1976. This is the first time he is showing his photographs outside his home country.
At the gallery, two photographic series are presented: “Passion – Desire – Flying” and “Self-Exposure.”
István Szirányi says of the first series that the three chosen concepts have been arranged and examined as consequences of one another.
They contain, he believes, roughly the same emotional tension.
He compares his way of working with methods used in perception-psychological research.
The words expressed immediately before the exhibition itself evoke different reactions and preferences among the viewers.
The specific concept leads each individual into a particular train of thought, and the reaction can sometimes be read directly from the person’s face — a kind of movement or perhaps a complete stillness.
Szirányi began with analytical studies of himself.
During the photographic process, one observes many faces, and through deep analysis, one should, he believes, be able to gain insight into one’s own self and perhaps create a possibility for change.
The images of different faces — of himself, his mother, a friend, etc. — help him to compile and develop earlier experiences.
He can see himself in relation to these different people over a certain period, in a particular context.
The experiment shown at Galerie S:t Petri is not yet concluded.
In “Self-Exposure”, Szirányi covers his face with a camera, which becomes the transmitter of the image.
He compares the role of the camera with the plaster material used when making a cast of a face.
In both cases, it is the face itself that serves as the means for an artistic composition — through the use of lips, tongue, teeth, and facial muscles.
The exhibition is open weekdays 3 p.m.–8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays 12 p.m.–5 p.m.