Useless Galeri is a curator collective of Lucia Petrányi and Fanni Solymár. The group aspires to organise art-based events or projects that try to circumvent or go beyond conventional frameworks of the artscene. A project is seen as a complex whole in which space, artworks, and the co-arts are closely intertwined. Their aim is to go beyond conventions to create a no-strings-attached platform where the experience and the creation of a personal playing field is achieved through collaborative partnerships. In contrast to the enclosed nature of the art scene, they seek to create a safe and inclusive "space" that can reflect on the fears and anxieties that dominate the present in an effortless and stress-free way, harnessing the power of art. The projects seek to turn towards experimental forms that can have a refreshing effect in a closed and often self-repeating cultural environment that follows trends.
Art Statement
𝖀𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖘: not fulfilling or not expected to achieve the intended purpose or desired outcome
𝒢𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓇𝒾: closed group; a company formed in the common interest or on the basis of the same interest
On the one hand, Useless Galeri is critical of the kind of capitalist business model, even in the art world, that measures the value of something in terms of profit, success, and upward construction. Success, economic utility or value is measured here more in terms of social impact or community-building power. The "useless" in the moral interpretation of uselessness reflects on the Hungarian cultural-political situation, which increasingly resembles the categorisation familiar from socialism, in which the "public-dangerous work-abuser", i.e. the tolerated or rather forbidden, the artistic attitude not following the expectations of the political power of the day, i.e. rebellious or destructive, is not accepted. The Useless Galeri embraces uselessness, disobedience and the political views of a resistant artistic community. Futility and uselessness are also references to the dilemma that is still active today, trying to define the meaning and utility of art. Instead of elitist art, the white cube, or the world of commercial galleries, the focus is on building a framework for existence beyond, outside of them. The aim is to break free from the framework of canonised art and to expand the scope of art. The "galeri" is a response to this struggle: the creation of community, solidarity, cooperation as a way of being. The kind of interconnectedness that is capable of courageous action, whether it is a departure from fashion or a political statement of some kind.
Website: https://www.instagram.com/useless_galeri/
Supporters:
NKA Nemzeti Kulturális Alap (National Cultural Fund)
Waclaw Felczak Foundation
Photographers: Szabó R. János, Kalicz Máté
Artists: Benedek Tom, Stach Szumski