BURKHARD SCHITTNY, Fineart

dignity

DIGNITY - TRIBUTE TO ÁGNES LUKÁCS (Edit 2)
LEGACY PROJECTS 2021

Video installation / 60 min / 9:16 / 4K / Sound / b/w
Single-channel / Dimensions variable

INTRODUCTION

The video work Dignity – Tribute to Ágnes Lukács (Edit 2) takes as its point of departure Összebújva (Close Together), a drawing from Ágnes Lukács’ portfolio Auschwitz Női Tábor (Auschwitz Women’s Camp), published in 1946. The depiction of a closely gathered group of women became a recurring motif for the Jewish-Hungarian artist, one to which she returned repeatedly over the course of several decades.

In the 60-minute video, filmed entirely in slow motion, this visual motif is translated into the present. Again and again, a group of women forms and reforms. Through its non-linear editing, the work draws attention to gestures of closeness, protection, and mutual support.

Taking Lukács’s image as its starting point, the work explores solidarity as a form of resistance against violence and dehumanisation. It understands dignity not as an abstract concept, but as something that becomes visible in human relationships and endures even under conditions of extreme threat.

Links:
Ágnes Lukács at Wikipedia
Ágnes Lukács at Jewish History Online