Eleanor Macnair: Recreated Moments - Play-Doh Icons in the History of Photography
Eleanor Macnair's art focuses on reinterpreting photographs with a unique twist: she reconstructs iconic photographs using Play-Doh. Her creations simultaneously reflect on the iconography of visual culture and the power of everyday materials while also questioning the authenticity of photography. The transformation is both playful and thought-provoking, demonstrating how art can transcend its traditional boundaries.
The exhibition is open to the public:
23 April 2025 – 22 June 2025
Tuesday – Sunday from 12 to 7 pm
Closed on Mondays and public holidays
Curator: László Baki
Opening: 22 April 2025, Tuesday, 6 pm
Opening speech by the exhibiting artist, Eleanor Macnair
Schedule
Macnair's works extend beyond mere aesthetic experience; they delve into the dimensions of timelessness in art and the limits of reproduction, opening up new avenues for interpretation. Her creations provide a fresh context for classic works, whether it be William Eggleston's vibrant photographs or André Kertész's lyrical images. These transformed pieces engage in a playful dialogue with artistic traditions, inviting the viewers to reinterpret photographic narratives. The materials used often evoke childhood memories for many, adding new depth to the understanding of classic photographs and establishing a connection between art and pop culture. This blend of playfulness and intellectual challenge makes Macnair's work distinctive.
Eleanor Macnair's clay reconstructions serve as metaphors for both the fragility and permanence of photography. Her works not only creatively reinterpret techniques and visual perspectives but also contribute to a larger social dialogue. The central question raised by her art is: what does copying and recreating mean in the digital age?
Macnair approaches the creative process using simple, everyday tools such as tweezers, scissors, knives, and, of course, Hasbro's colorful Play-Doh clays. The artwork is completed within 24 hours, primarily at night, before the clay has a chance to dry. Once the reliefs are photographed, the artist disassembles the pieces, allowing the raw material to be reused for the next creation. This efficient approach to time and materials not only showcases Macnair's innovative thinking but also encourages reflection on the artistic possibilities of reproduction. The final works are preserved digitally and are also available for purchase as prints.
This exhibition also takes visitors on a journey through the history of photography, as the presentation follows the chronological order of the original images that inspired the clay photographs, covering more than 120 years of photography's 186-year history.
The exhibition is open to the public:
23 April 2025 – 22 June 2025
Tuesday – Sunday from 12 to 7 pm
Closed on Mondays and public holidays
Curator: László Baki
Opening: 22 April 2025, Tuesday, 6 pm
Opening speech by the exhibiting artist, Eleanor Macnair
Hungarian House of Photography - Mai Manó House
Mai Manó House – The Hungarian House of Photographers – operates in a studio-house built at the end of 19th century, for the commission of Mai Manó (1855-1917), Imperial and Royal Court Photographer. This special, eight-story neo-renaissance monument is unique in world architecture: we have no knowledge of any other intact turn-of-the-century studiohouse. In addition, it serves its original goal, the case of photography again. The aim of Mai Manó House is to advance the development of Hungarian photography and raise photography’s national prestige as a distinct form of art. The institution plays a marked role in the cultural life of Budapest and Hungary, while the organization of exhibitions and programs abroad is getting more and more emphasis within its activities. The reputation of justly world-famous Hungarian photographers of the 20th century offers a great opportunity to regain our old status in the world of photography by the introduction of the generations following those great masters