GROTESK – The common language of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe has been a geopolitical buffer zone for centuries and, as a result, the people who live here have had to learn to communicate by reading between the lines and laughing at their own impossible situations, giving rise to an unmistakably unique form of expression, the Eastern European grotesque.
Rather than focusing on the differences between the many peoples across the region – and the forgotten East–West divide left behind by the Cold War, which is becoming less and less relevant with globalization – the G.R.O.T.E.S.K photo project draws attention to what connects us. Through this publication and exhibitions in Czechia, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary in 2025, it highlights our common values by showcasing the best absurdist photographs from Eastern Europe!
ARTIST
HUNGARY: Csilla Klenyánszki, Hórusz Archive (Sándor Kardos), Éva Szombat, László Török, Zsuzsi Uj
CZECHIA: Oskar Helcel, Dita Pepe, Iren Stehli
SLOVAKIA: Andrej Balco, Martin Kollár, Zuzana Pustaiová, Viktor Šelesták
POLAND: Zbigniew Libera, Natalia LL, Rafał Milach, Agnieszka Sejud
ROMANIA: Mihai Barabancea, Tamás Hajdu
UKRAINE: Alexander Chekmenev, Julie Poly
CURATORS
István Virágvölgyi, Capa Center (Budapest, Hungary)
Sára Jeleňová, OFF Bratislava (Bratislava, Slovakia)
Světlana Malina, Fotograf Zone festival (Prague, Czech Republic)
Marta Szymańska, Fotofestiwal (Łódź, Poland)
Andrej Pešta – Baro frajeris
We’re opening an exhibition at the Fotograf Zone gallery dedicated to an extraordinary figure—not just in Roma culture, but also in the visual history of Central Europe: Andrej Pešta. His passion for documenting the world—and himself—has become a unique visual archive of Roma life during socialism. This archive has now been given a new frame by curator and visual artist Emília Rigová. The exhibition Andrej Pešta – Baro frajeris is part of this year’s Khamoro Festival of Roma Culture and will be on display at the gallery until September 18.
Maya Schweizer – The starfish
Video installation Starfish by the French-German artist Maya Schweizer is part of the Video Room curatorial programme, which has been running in the gallery's underground space since 2025. In form and content, it is designed to evoke the atmosphere of a small cinema. The aim of the project is to introduce the Prague audience to prominent personalities of the international and local film scene.
Opening of the 15th edition of Fotograf Zone Festival 2025 – TALK TOGETHER
We are pleased to invite you to the opening ceremony of the 15th edition of the Fotograf Zone Festival – an international showcase of contemporary photography and visual art.