Manifesta purposely strives to keep its distance from what are often seen as the dominant centres of artistic production, instead seeking fresh and fertile terrain for the mapping of a new cultural topography.
Mihály Moldvay, RS
Untitled [7 b/w photographs], 1980 © Mihály Moldvay. Photo © Manifesta 16 Ruhr / Ivan Erofeev.
Mihály Moldvay came to Germany in 1962 with the first generation of so-called "guest workers". After dropping out of mechanical engineering, he found his way to photography through the Hamburg School of Photography and initially worked as a photo reporter for a daily newspaper. From 1968 onwards, he shaped the visual language of the Stern Magazine for over 35 years. He was a photojournalist with a special eye for people, social realities and life in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. For decades, he documented political upheavals as well as everyday scenes. His pictures seek proximity to the portrayed: they show not only events, but also dignity, vulnerability and human relationships.