As a member of the Accession8 Group, Valeria created this painting for a joint exhibition where eight female artists explored the topic ‘migration’ and ‘identity'.
The joint exhibition in October 2010, collaboration between artists and non-artists, was a reflection on their lives, identities and perceptions, exploring their personal stories and experiences, the artists wanted to present their point of view, confront the stereotypes of Eastern European women and western media portrayals of them.
‘As I have always been very close to my grandmother, her presence formed part of my identity which has now been partially lost. In Hungarian culture the youngest and the oldest generations often live together very close, and women in the family has a special connection. We learn the female behaviour, womanhood and motherhood, secrets and mystery and how to survive as a woman.
The experience of the oldest always stays with us, we remember and cherish it and pass it on to the next generations.
My great grandmother (in Hungarian: dédmama), my grandmother (in Hungarian: nagymama) and my mother (in Hungarian: édesanya): this is all me.
Following the Hungarian revolution in 1989 and the end of the Soviet occupation in 1991 (the last Soviet troops left the country in 1993) Hungary’s economy went from bad to worse and like in many post-socialist countries my generation was forced into migration. Highly educated young people, who were speaking languages had low paid jobs or no jobs at all, barely making a living, really had no options but to leave their family and home, and go west.. A lot of women left the country to support their family, and mothers to support their children, taking jobs way under their qualifications, living separated from familyhaving to endure the rare family visits. This is another side of migration which is hidden and not explored by the media.’
NOT FOR SALE
