Handle with Care: RomaMoMA Nomadic Library at the Ludwig Museum

Handle with Care is the title of the new exhibition that opened at the Ludwig Museum, the contemporary art museum of Budapest. Upon the invitation of the curators and as an integral part of this new temporary exhibition, the RomaMoMA Nomadic Library traveled to Hungary for the opening on September 14, 2023.

 

 

The exhibition’s title Handle with Care refers to the vulnerability of those in need of care, the asymmetrical relationship between carer and cared for, the fragility of life and our ecosystem, and the cracks and gaps in the social care system, but most of all, it calls attention to the need for collective responsibility. Finally, it can also be applied to the role of the museum itself, which, beyond the careful management of artworks, faces new tasks and challenges that affect society.

For its sojourn at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest, the RomaMoMA Nomadic Library is in an interactive installation meticulously crafted with care, by visionaries of the Romani Design, Erika Varga and Helena Varga. The space incorporates the museum’s bookshop and with the curated selection of RomaMoMA books is currently dedicated to preserving, collecting and showcasing contemporary Roma literary and artistic heritage. Through these books, the visitors are invited to be a pilgrim of stories and explore the long-oppressed and hidden genealogy of Roma cultural history.

 

The RomaMoMA Library was created in 2021 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the First World Romani Congress. It is dynamic and nomadic, engaging with local contexts wherever it travels.
ERIAC has created a library of mainly, but not exclusively English-language books focusing on Roma Art History and Roma Cultural History, which is intended as a space to preserve, collect, and showcase contemporary Roma literary and artistic heritage. This “library on the road” can be hosted by different institutions.

 

The exhibition is open from 15 September 2023 to 14 January 2024.

 

Curators: Rita Dabi-Farkas, Viktória Popovics
Concept: Viktória Popovics 

 

Exhibiting Artists:
BAGLYAS Erika, Maria BARTUSZOVÁ, Oksana BRIUKHOVETSKA, Elina BROTHERUS, Seba CALFUQUEO, Alexandr CHEKMENEV, Phil COLLINS, Anna DAUČÍKOVÁ, EPERJESI Ágnes, ESTERHÁZY Marcell, FAJGERNÉ DUDÁS Andrea, FÁTYOL Viola, Andreas FOGARASI, Coco FUSCO, Anna HULAČOVÁ, Sanja IVEKOVIĆ, KIS Judit, LŐRINCZ Réka, Kateryna LYSOVENKO, MATERNAL FANTASIES, OLÁH Norbert, Oláh Mara OMARA, Kateřina ŠEDÁ, SZÁSZ Lilla, SZENES Zsuzsa, TARR Hajnalka, TRANKER Kata, VÉKONY Dorottya, Stephanie WINTER

 

RomaMoMA Nomadic Library installation design: Erika Varga, Helena Varga, Beatrix Torma, Lili Kriston

 

Images: Szabó Zsófia, Ludwig Museum

 

 

More information: https://www.ludwigmuseum.hu/en/exhibition/handle-care