Feminine / Masculine 2023
A juried group international exhibition of contemporary photography
PH21 Gallery
55 Ráday St.
Budapest
Hungary
February 9 – March 4, 2023
Online Opening Reception:
February 9
6:00 P.M. CET (UTC+1)
Selected: New Year’s Baby
New Year's Baby, 2020
Portrayals of femininity and masculinity are, without doubt, central to a number of art forms, photography not being an exception. The past few decades have given rise to – often heated – discussions and criticisms of past, recent, and current photographic practices for their lack of reflection on the assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices surrounding photographic approaches to femininity and masculinity. Fine art and commercial works alike have been critiqued for the potential consequences of their approach and presentation.
Historically, femininity and masculinity have been conceived, among others, as oppositions, as complements of each other, or as positions on a continuum. There are hardly any ways of portraying femininity and masculinity that would or could not be considered trivial, conservative, pretentious, demeaning, distasteful, clichéd or even offensive by some. It often seems that everything has been both said and photographed about this subject, and yet, it is not possible to ignore the persistence of the theme in our contemporary visual culture. What is it that we can still value and possibly revive from the rich history of photography; are there any novel ways left to approach this subject with a fresh critical eye?
PH21 Gallery is a contemporary exhibition space established in 2012 in Budapest, Hungary. The gallery curates open group and solo exhibitions for contemporary photographers around the world, both emerging and established. Our main exhibition space is located in one of the most exciting and lively neighbourhoods in the centre of Budapest, at 55 Ráday St. The PH21 Gallery Project Room, a second space just across the street, opened in January 2019 at 52 Ráday St. PH21's Project Room programmes are supported by the Local Government of Ferencváros District (Budapest Főváros IX. Kerület Ferencváros Önkormányzata).
Curator & Juror of AWARDS
Zsolt Bátori
Zsolt is a philosopher of art and photographer. He currently serves as dean of the Faculty of Art and Creative Industries of the Budapest Metropolitan University, and visits the University of Murcia, Spain for regular research collaboration. He has conducted research and taught philosophy of art and photography courses at various universities in Hungary, the United States, Spain and Argentina, and has exhibited his photographic work internationally. Zsolt is also the founder and director of PH21 Gallery.