Things we already knew: It gets cold in Eastern Europe, and people in cold climates have traditionally worn animal skins to keep warm. However, I can’t help being surprised at seeing Tamas Dezso‘s photograph of a Romanian boy, who seems to have hollowed out a whole bear and climbed inside. The image is part of the Hungarian artist’s Notes for an Epilogue series, and on closer inspection the picture’s title reveals what is really going on. Ciprian, The Bear Dancer. The costume, and racks of pelts just like it, is worn when enacting a traditional cultural dance — possibly slightly less depressing than having a live bear tethered on a chain performing, but it’s a close call. Some may label it cultural preservation, others may see it as a failure to move with the times and adopt the values of the modern world.
A stagnation of many kinds — societal, economical and industrial — is an important part of Bucharest-based Deszo’s two ongoing bodies of work. Notes for an Epilogue and Here, Anywhere examine post-Soviet life in Hungary and Romania, and show how although the oppressive regime has departed, the countries have failed to capitalise (no pun intended) on the new-found freedom. Deszo’s desolate landscapes are littered with examples of decaying buildings — symbolic of the post-Soviet economic struggles as mass migration empties industrial towns, leaving them to rot. On the borderline of east and west, the two countries seem unable to decide which way to go: cling to the disappearing remnants of the old order or make the painful transition necessary to move forward. Deszo’s work is being exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery, London, from 17 April to 14 June. Prints will be on sale.
Tamas Dezso,
Night Watchmen, 2012
Tamas Dezso,
The Flooded Village of Geamana, 2011
Tamas Dezso,
Copsa Mica Factory, 2013
Tamas Dezso,
Dump, 2012
Tamas Dezso,
Carpet Sellers, 2012
