JURY STATEMENT
Bela Varadi’s heroes celebrate their queerness and “Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT)” identity as an enigmatic and celebratory fusion. The protagonists not only shine in the photographs themselves, expressing themselves, but are also active in activism, educational work and community work. Intersectional queer heroes as pioneers for their community both within and without.
„SORRY, BUT I’M NOT SORRY!“
„Sorry, but I’m not Sorry!“ celebrates the resilience and identity of queer Roma, who proudly align being queer with being Roma and celebrate their dual identity. The project by Bela Varadi, who is part of the community himself, pursues a conceptual approach that calls for radical acceptance by taking up stereotypes, queering them and thus making them brittle. Its protagonists are strong, vibrant and vocal. The perspectives often fall far into a stretched horizon, are photographed slightly elevated or strongly upwards, sometimes in a classic frontal variation. They shine in the light. The protagonists sometimes appear as if they are dramatically stretched and tall, sometimes self-confidently frontal – they are presenting themselves. Bela Varadi writes: “Pictures presenting GRT and LGBTQ+ identities often focus on the struggles the subjects had to go through; however, I wanted to create a positive narrative with these pictures by encouraging my subjects to imagine what enabled them to be more confident with their dual identities and focus on these enabling factors rather than delve into historical struggles.”
BIOGRAPHY
Bela Varadi lives and works in London, was born in Hungary and is himself part of the queer Roma community. His documentary photographs revolve around themes such as human rights activism, LGBTQIA+ and the experiences of the Roma community. Some of his recently completed photo series focus on the disappearance of Roma minorities and the lives of Hungary’s working class Roma communities. Recent photography awards: Shortlisted for Portrait of Britain, 2023; ND Awards, 2023; Fine Art Photography Awards, 2021, 2022, 2023
(biography provided by artist)
JURY STATEMENT
Bela Varadis Held*innen feiern ihre Queerness und auch ihre Zugehörigkeit zur Roma Community als eine sich bereichernde, schillernde Zusammenkunft. Die Protagonist*innen strahlen nicht nur selbst in der Fotografie, formulieren ihre Selbstverwirklichung, sie sind auch aktivistisch aktiv, machen Aufklärungsarbeit und Community Work. Queer Heroes als Vorreiter*innen nach außen und innen.
„SORRY, BUT I’M NOT SORRY!“
“Sorry, but I’m not Sorry!” feiert die Widerstandsfähigkeit und Identität queerer Roma, die stolz ihre Doppelidentität zelebrieren. Das Projekt von Bela Varadi, der selbst Teil der Community ist, verfolgt einen konzeptionellen Ansatz, der, indem er Stereotype aufgreift, queert und damit diese brüchig macht. Seine Protagonist*innen sind stark, lebendig und laut. Die Perspektiven fallen oft weit in einen gestreckten Horizont hinein, sind leicht erhöht oder stark in Untersicht, mal auch in Varianz klassisch frontal. Sie strahlen im Licht. So wirken die Protagonist*innen mal dramatisch groß und gestreckt, mal selbstbewusst frontal – sie zeigen sich. Bela Varadi schreibt selbst: “Bilder, die GRT- und LSBTQIA+ Identitäten darstellen, konzentrieren sich oft auf die Kämpfe, die die Personen durchmachen mussten. Ich wollte jedoch mit diesen Bildern eine positive Erzählung schaffen, indem ich meine Protagonist*innen ermutigte, sich vorzustellen, was es ihnen ermöglichte, selbstbewusster mit ihrer doppelten Identität umzugehen und sich auf diese ermöglichenden Faktoren zu konzentrieren, anstatt sich in historische Kämpfe zu vertiefen.”
BIOGRAFIE
Bela Varadi lebt und arbeitet in London, ist in Ungarn geboren und selbst Teil der queeren Roma Community. Seine Dokumentarfotos drehen sich um Themen wie Menschenrechtsaktivismus, LSBTQIA+ und Erfahrungen der Roma Community. Einige seiner kürzlich abgeschlossenen Fotoserien haben das Verschwinden der Roma-Minderheiten und das Leben der ungarischen Roma-Gemeinschaften der Arbeiterklasse zum Thema. Jüngste Auszeichnungen für Fotografie: Auf der Shortlist für Portrait of Britain, 2023; ND Awards, 2023; Fine Art Photography Awards, 2021, 2022, 2023
Transitions as lived stories of heroism. Mathis Benestebe shows how you can become a hero for and within yourself, connecting the concentrated autobiographical opening of the series with other parallel trajectories, human experiences of transition, all of which ultimately find different forms of embodiment.
Growing old as a queer person and thriving is an accomplishment till this day. This in itself makes the subjects heroes and role models for a lot of lgbtqia+ people. The joy and playfulness of the series is a fresh and well needed tone of representation.
Meret Eberl does not, in the best possible way, close-cut capture her protagonists and their experiences. In her compositions, there is room for questions and space for the human experience.
The series „Life without a Parachute“ shows great and grand moments in queer history and significant, far-reaching success stories, celebrated stars and individuals who fought for political achievements for the queer community far beyond the US-American context.
Lou Fajardo shows everyday heroes in the Philippines who gently and tenderly create spaces of care and self-care. The series emphasizes the desire for legal protection and justice for the LGBTQIA+ communities in the Philippines.
The series House of Realness raises the question of agency and representation through stereotypical imagery and expectations of specifically gay queerness in the townships of Johannesburg, but also creates space for new, heroic imaginations.
Kuln’zu’s portrait series shows young queer people from the cultural scene of Nairobi (Kenya), visionary heroes who create spaces for visibility and representation in a powerful cultural and artistic practice.
Chantal Regnault’s series is iconic. She gives us heroes that continue to echo and reverberate around the world. Ballroom is held up as a place of self-realization, of protection, of family of choice, but also of courage.
Bela Varadi’s heroes celebrate their queerness and “Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT)” identity as an enigmatic and celebratory fusion. The protagonists not only shine in the photographs themselves, expressing themselves, but are also active in activism, educational work and community work.
Pia Vogel shows that the private, the personal, the local is deeply meaningful. Queer solidarity, learning from each other and supporting each other on a direct personal level of love, care and community is powerful and heroic.
In a particularly fluid and poetic way, Cansu Yıldıran sheds light on queer people who have been subjected to violence. Through the use of documentary imaginations, Cansu Yıldıran creates a kind of mythical space for the empathetic, loving commemoration of heroes whose names have not (yet) been commemorated.
