Stranica 18 [18]
OCR
broader in spectrum - his perspective on values much more inclusive — than that, also organically encompassing his roles and activities relating to the public sphere of photography. As characteristic of his spirit of initiative, in 1998, he was art director of the 1" National Photo Week, and, in 1999, he was president of the Board of Trustees of the 2"9 National Photo Weeks. He was also festival director of the Month of Photography in 2000 and in 2002. He played a constant initiatory and inspirative role in realizing all of these events. As his special mission, he also founded the website of the Association of Hungarian Photographers, which was the first online photography magazine in Hungary, and of which he became managing editor. It was also his idea that the National Széchényi Library together with the Association of Hungarian Photographers create Contemporary Photo Art Collection and Documentation, which was realized in 2000, and of which he was co-founder and first art director. That same year, he was also vice-president of HUNGART, and chief instructor of the College for Advanced Studies and Masterclass of the Association of Hungarian Photographers. He was also a professional expert and a member of the Body of Experts on Copyright Law. In 2001, he began working on the editing staff of Photo Video, Photo Mosaic. He was art director of the online exhibition space Artphoto Gallery, and art director of the Kerengé Gallery of the National Dance Theatre Budapest. Between 2002 and 2006, he lived and worked in Győr. In addition, he taught photography, press photography and newspaper editing at the Hungarian Dance Academy, the Győr School of Dance and Fine Arts, and the Socrates Bilingual Vocational School (2003). Between 2002 and 2004, he was art director of MEDIAWAVE International Film and Music Festival. As of 2004, he was art director of ZOOM Magazine, and then became member of the advisory body of Győr: European Capital of Culture 2010. In 2005, he was cover photographer for the periodical Győri Hét. In 2006, on invitation by the Chinese Photographers Association, he travelled to China to take photographs in the Xinjiang region. His entrepreneurial spirit and will proved long-lasting. Finally, it also should be noted that in 2015-2016, he was an expert for the greatly dynamic Reformation Memorial Committee, organizer of the national photo competition Momentum of Renewal, and then curator of its national touring exhibition. PHOTOGRAPHY OF THE IMAGINATION Janos Eifert’s life and career began in Hódmezővásárhely. His strong ties to his hometown and his local friends continue to be a defining influence in his life. During the creation of this book, ethnographic researcher Tibor Szenti, also a resident, wrote: “As we are both from Hódmezővásárhely, we have known each other and been friends since our youth. As a 30 document photographer of certain professions in the humanities, | have always looked up to you as someone who, following his calling and a strong inner drive, creates photographs at a high artistic level. You are known not only to your fans and followers within the profession in your home country. There are few Hungarian art photographers, who have exhibited in as many shows and earned as many prizes internationally as you have. In doing so, you have greatly contributed to the recognition of our country in the field of art photography.” At the beginning of this text, | quoted Janos Eifert’s ars poetica, in which he states that, to him, “photography is like playing a game. A very serious game.” Perhaps | have been able to demonstrate above that, indeed, there is a light-heartedness - almost playfulness — with which Janos Eifert approaches a chosen phenomenon or person. But it is also true that this playfulness continually results in deep, serious content and is always paired with intensive creativity. He also writes that, to him, photography “signifies the possibility of knowing the world, of encounters, new tasks, and the freedom” to communicate his thoughts in his own visual language. This, too, has been made evident. The exceptional thematic richness with which his work has unfolded shows that he has, indeed, grown to know the world, that he has continuously experienced encounters and tackled new tasks. And we can certainly see his freedom, which, perhaps, we could even call soaring. His photos also communicate thoughts, and, indeed, do so in his own visual language. He continues: “To look — to see — and to render seeable: this is the mission of the photographer”. This, too, becomes obvious to us: in travelling the country and the world, he is always looking; from his photos it also becomes apparent to us that he has a fantastic ability to “see” and to “render seeable”. The final half-sentence of the quote goes “as s/he balances on the edge of imagination and reality”. This is perhaps his most extraordinary achievement. Once upon a time, the distinguishing characteristic of photography, as opposed to other forms of art, was that it captured what was visible, perceivable in front of the lens, in all its reality. In his photography, however, Janos Eifert truly balances on the line separating imagination and reality. His photographs capture reality, while also rendering visible that which is imagined. In his images, the photography of the imagination also comes to life, which may start out in reality but is, ultimately, created by the imagination, in the realm of fantasy. This is how Janos Eifert’s ars poetica manifests as a realized artistic achievement. 31
