The [IN]VISIBLE MEANING photography exhibition invites the audience to engage with a fundamental question: where does “meaning” emerge in photography? Rather than offering a fixed answer, the exhibition proposes meaning as something relational—formed through the interaction between image, space, photographer, and viewer.

The significance of this project becomes particularly evident through the presentation of two photographic series—FEAR and Comfort Zone—which were exhibited side by side in the previous iterations of the project. Although both series originate from the same artist, they differ radically in form, subject placement, and visual language, creating a productive tension that lies at the core of [IN]VISIBLE MEANING.

The FEAR photo series belongs to the still-life genre and constructs a visual narrative rooted in the photographer’s personal experience during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Shot from a fixed angle, the images focus on everyday objects and interior spaces, revealing how the photographer relates to his immediate surroundings under conditions of uncertainty, isolation, and media saturation. Rather than documenting external events, FEAR reflects an internal psychological state shaped by the constant flow of alarming information and shared global anxiety.

In this series, meaning emerges through familiarity and collective memory. As the artist explains:

“In order to show my psychological condition to the audience, I produced FEAR using a familiar and understandable visual language. The audience’s relationship with these photographs is shaped by shared experiences between myself and the viewers. I communicate through fear—not as a personal emotion alone, but as a language rooted in our common lived experience.”

The shared condition of the pandemic allows the audience to recognize themselves within the images. Meaning is not embedded solely in the objects photographed, but in the emotional resonance they carry for those who lived through the same moment in time.

By contrast, the Comfort Zone series adopts a black-and-white documentary approach, shifting the focus from interior psychological space to the external reality of urban life. Through photographs of city environments, the series explores the contradictions inherent in contemporary urban living. Here, the camera observes rather than stages, capturing fragments of everyday life shaped by architecture, infrastructure, and social behavior.

Explaining this body of work, the artist reflects:

“We are constantly caught in contradictory interpretations of meaning in life. Cities promise prosperity, comfort, and opportunity, and we move toward them in search of a better future. Yet the very structures meant to support us often shape our lives in ways that are restrictive, exhausting, and emotionally draining. I believe this contradiction stems from our incomplete understanding of concepts such as welfare, comfort, and the ‘comfort zone’ itself—an imbalance that traps us in a vicious emotional cycle.”

Although the method of image-making in Comfort Zone differs significantly from FEAR, the audience still seeks a meaningful connection with the photographs. However, this time the interaction does not rely on a consciously shared experience or a pre-designed emotional code. Instead, meaning emerges through the viewer’s interpretation of real-world scenes, filtered through their own emotional memory, personal history, and lived experience of urban environments.

In the most recent exhibition of the [IN]VISIBLE MEANING project, Comfort Zone was presented in a warehouse located within an old building in Budapest. Originally designed as a storage space rather than a social or cultural venue, the warehouse played a crucial role in reinforcing the conceptual framework of the exhibition. The choice of location emphasized the tension between function, comfort, and human presence—central concerns of the series itself.

The audience encountered the photographs in an abandoned section of the building that had remained unused for decades. With its low ceiling, damp walls, broken wooden floors, and layers of dust, the space resisted the conventional expectations of a gallery environment. Rather than offering comfort, it placed viewers under subtle physical and psychological pressure, mirroring the themes explored in the images.

The interaction between the photographs and the architectural space created a heightened sensory experience. Images depicting life in urban environments were confronted by a setting that embodied discomfort, confinement, and decay—transforming the act of viewing into a bodily experience rather than a purely visual one.

As one visitor, Laura, described:

“The Comfort Zone exhibition space created an inescapable feeling that reminded me of what we constantly experience in big cities. I enjoyed looking at the photographs, but at the same time, the pressure created by the dark space and the low ceiling felt like a metaphor for urban life itself. Cities attract us with their resources and opportunities, yet unconsciously they can also become painful and difficult spaces to inhabit.”

Through this dialogue between image, space, and audience, [IN]VISIBLE MEANING reveals meaning not as something immediately visible, but as something that gradually takes shape—through perception, emotion, and lived experience.