Hajnal Németh: WHITE SONG - Among Others
Vernissage and concert-performance: 09/FEBR/2017 (THU) 19 pm (sharp!)
19:00 • Trafoclub: Extraordinary Speech
performed by: Helene Romakin (speech), Júlia Koffler (vocals)
concept and text: Helene Romakin, Hajnal Németh
19:15 • Trafoclub: WHITE SONG
performed by: István Dankó (vocals), Mark Richards (guitar)
concept and text: Hajnal Németh
19:30 • Trafoclub: IMAGINE WAR – duo version
performed by: Jenő Fekete (vocals, guitar), Albert Orgon (vocals, bass guitar)
concept and text: Hajnal Németh
19:00 • Trafoclub: Extraordinary Speech
performed by: Helene Romakin (speech), Júlia Koffler (vocals)
concept and text: Helene Romakin, Hajnal Németh
19:15 • Trafoclub: WHITE SONG
performed by: István Dankó (vocals), Mark Richards (guitar)
concept and text: Hajnal Németh
19:30 • Trafoclub: IMAGINE WAR – duo version
performed by: Jenő Fekete (vocals, guitar), Albert Orgon (vocals, bass guitar)
concept and text: Hajnal Németh
You can download the handout of the exhibition from here.
Hajnal Németh is one of the most significant Hungarian artists of the past two decades. The artist who lives and works in Berlin represented Hungary at the 54th Venice Biennale in 2011. Her works were also exhibited in such prestigious institutions like Palais de Tokyo, Paris, Reina Sofia Museum, Madrid, mumok Vienna, Moderna Museet, Stockholm, or the Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin.
Németh’s new solo exhibition, entitled WHITE SONG – Among Others is a reference to Roy Harper’s song from 1970 I Hate the White Man. The white British male songwriter’s self-critical attitude inspired Németh, who has already manipulated other pop cultural phenomena with small visual and textual modifications. Hajnal Németh is generally interested in creating political and critical tools out of pop culture with the help of irony and humor. With the re-editing of Harper’s song and the addition of new colors into the text like red, yellow and black, the work destabilizes and abstracts the narrative of human classification based on skin color. This tiny modification, which is not a heavy critical tool still becomes a very important feature for the artist, who is becoming more and more political in her oeuvre.
The newest works to be seen at the exhibition, which made their debut at the previous exhibition of the artist in 2016 at Galerie Ebensperger create a connection with previously important genres like photos and wallpapers, which were dominant in the early works of the artist. Beside White Song photo series Németh creates remixes in forms of digital collages out of classical LP covers, which with their new titles and colors create a new deeper critical context for the exhibition.
The exhibition is also the premiere of the musical film Work Song – As Time Goes By and the show is also an organic continuation of Németh’ performative praxis, which integrates different genres of music into contemporary art. The 70 minutes long Work Song video simulates an audition situation, which is partly inspired by Milos Forman’s 1971 film Taking Off. The narrative of the video unfolds through 13 acts with 13 iconic songs.
Supported by: National Cultural Fund, Káli Kövek
Németh’s new solo exhibition, entitled WHITE SONG – Among Others is a reference to Roy Harper’s song from 1970 I Hate the White Man. The white British male songwriter’s self-critical attitude inspired Németh, who has already manipulated other pop cultural phenomena with small visual and textual modifications. Hajnal Németh is generally interested in creating political and critical tools out of pop culture with the help of irony and humor. With the re-editing of Harper’s song and the addition of new colors into the text like red, yellow and black, the work destabilizes and abstracts the narrative of human classification based on skin color. This tiny modification, which is not a heavy critical tool still becomes a very important feature for the artist, who is becoming more and more political in her oeuvre.
The newest works to be seen at the exhibition, which made their debut at the previous exhibition of the artist in 2016 at Galerie Ebensperger create a connection with previously important genres like photos and wallpapers, which were dominant in the early works of the artist. Beside White Song photo series Németh creates remixes in forms of digital collages out of classical LP covers, which with their new titles and colors create a new deeper critical context for the exhibition.
The exhibition is also the premiere of the musical film Work Song – As Time Goes By and the show is also an organic continuation of Németh’ performative praxis, which integrates different genres of music into contemporary art. The 70 minutes long Work Song video simulates an audition situation, which is partly inspired by Milos Forman’s 1971 film Taking Off. The narrative of the video unfolds through 13 acts with 13 iconic songs.
Supported by: National Cultural Fund, Káli Kövek
