K. A. S. GALÉRIA, BUDAPEST (HU)
The exhibited works of Benedek Regős reflect on the essential aspects of reproduction photography. The starting point for the "White Balance" is the fact that our art history knowledge is mainly based on mediated images. Although the knowledge of the artworks largely depends on the experience of meeting them personaly, the media of photography has immensely simplified and democratized the possibility of getting to know them. After inventing the method of photography, the first photographic reproductions of artwork appeared. The world's first image agency, the Alinari brothers, founded in 1852 in Florence, Italy, was also specialized in their production and trade. Their prints quickly reached the most important libraries, scientific and cultural institutions, where they became an essential part of research and artistic education. The role of photographs has since been indispensable in acquiring knowledge of art history.
Nowadays, in a period of abundance of resources, we can easily study a painting, statue or building from home. However, most of the reproductions found in albums, books, and the Internet seem to disprove our faith in their credibility and infallibility. Due to technical specificities (print quality, resolution, color rendering, etc.) or the lack of technical skills of the photographer, the information that the photo conveys is often insecure, incomplete, or even inaccurate about the artwork, and thus the artistic value is lost.
According to the book Education and Technology by János Horváth, Jenő Lévai and Dr. György Molnár, reproduction photography is intended to reflect the tones and colors of the original surface to be reproduced without distortion. In addition to this, despite the fact that we are striving for technical accuracy and adherence to strict recruitment rules, the authenticity of photographic "rendering" in many cases becomes relative. The title of the exhibition refers to this relativity. The term "white balance" is a key factor in reproduction photography, refers to the correct reproduction of the subject.
Some of the works were first shown in 2015 at the "Until Titled" group exhibition in the OFF Festival in Bratislava, which was also introduced in February 2018 at the Hegyvidék Gallery in Budapest.
