Györgyi Cséffai: Will You Leave or Sit
Györgyi Cséffai’s first solo exhibition at The Space unfolds a single situation through three interrelated sculptural groups: the relationship between a central figure and the surrounding community, and the uncertainty of the narratives that emerge from it.
The starting point is a St. Lucia’s Day folk tradition connected to questions of courtship and the shaping of women’s fate. According to the custom, young women scattered corn kernels onto the windows of houses, seeking answers about their future: the response “you will leave” signaled an upcoming marriage, while “you will sit” indicated staying in place, the absence of marriage. The gesture carries both the act of questioning and an experience of vulnerability: a decision-making situation that appears to belong to the individual, yet unfolds within a system shaped by the community.
Schedule
The traditions evoked in the exhibition particularly address women’s destinies, while implicitly revealing the structural differences through which these questions affect genders unequally. In this sense, rituals and forms of divination concerning the future carry not only personal but also social and cultural patterns.
The central figure appearing in the space, together with the elements organized around it, further condenses this situation. Communal presence operates as an active, meaning-producing force that simultaneously observes, interprets, and assigns roles. Within this relational system, identity emerges not as a fixed state, but as a continuously forming process shaped between internal and external influences.
The metal works on view further nuance this system of relations. Circles made of steel and copper deform as a bell sounds, appearing as the physical imprint of sound. Traditionally, the bell is associated with communal events, turning points, and transitional states; here, however, these meanings do not settle into a fixed interpretation. The metal surfaces can be read both as traces of events linked to the central figure and as markers of a possible life trajectory, without committing to a single narrative.
The interplay of different materials and surface qualities generates a subtle tension between individual experience and external forces, while meanings remain open and unfixed. The exhibition creates a spatial experience in which the viewer becomes part of a collectively formed perspective, actively participating in the construction of meaning. In this context, narratives continuously reorganize themselves, preserving the uncertainty from which they emerge.
The Space Art Gallery
The Space, which opened in July 2022, is more than just an exhibition venue — it functions simultaneously as a community hub, educational space, and art management centre. Our goal is to create a meeting point between those interested in contemporary art and key figures in the art world — artists, collectors, and curators. We believe that art can also be a communal experience, so alongside exhibitions, we welcome our visitors with lectures, guided tours, discussions, workshops, and other inspiring events.
Our home is located in a unique Art Nouveau building in the heart of Budapest’s 1st district, on Hattyú Street. Built in 1913, the house originally evoked the atmosphere of the turn of the century with its richly decorated towers and elegant details — and although it has undergone many changes over time, it has preserved its character. When stepping through the gate, one might feel as if they have entered a Parisian inner courtyard — the building’s distinctive charm provides the perfect setting for presenting contemporary art.