agnes eperjesy

Your name
Agnes Eperjesy
Place of birth
Hungary
Place where you live now
Italy
3 words to describe you
Curious, melancholic, restless
Why do you take pictures?
Because I feel like I have to. I feel compelled to take pictures, make art.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I find an endless source of inspiration in human behaviour and experiences but also in our connections and relationships to places, spaces and each other.
Who are your influences?
Dadaism, Surrealism and the Avant-garde movements had a great impact on me early on. Particularly Dora Maar, László Moholy-Nagy, Hannah Höch, Hannah Wilke just to name a few. Today my work is often influenced by different artistic mediums like the films of Béla Tarr, Andrei Tarkovsky, Agnès Varda, Chris Marker or the writings of Milan Kundera, Anne Sexton, Albert Camus, Mikhail Bulgakov.
What determines the subject matter you choose?
Over time specific thoughts. Preoccupations bubble to the surface and gather enough energy for me act upon them and explore them deeper, but most of my works stem from perceptions of human nature.
What impact would you like your art to have?
I am hoping to encourage participation. I would like my art to raise questions, embolden the viewers to challenge their assumptions and look at their own perceptions from different angles.
What artwork do you never get bored with?
There are many artworks I revisit time and again, but the first one that came to mind after reading this question was: Meshes of the Afternoon by Maya Deren.
Is there anything you want to add?
The influence of photography extends beyond mere documentation, shaping the world's perception of history, everyday life, and even sparking transformative social movements. A single photograph possesses the remarkable power to encapsulate an era, serve as a catalyst of societal change and progress.

Mimicry
Project statement

Mimicry, the ability of an organism or artist to imitate its surroundings, has been crucial to the survival and success of species and artistic movements alike.

Mimicry has allowed animals to adapt and blend in with their environment, increasing their chances of survival. As artists, we too have drawn inspiration from the world around us, often mimicking, incorporating styles and techniques of those who have gone before us. But in doing so, we inevitably inject our own perspective and lived experiences into our work.
Through my project, I explore the balance between mimicry and originality, in the context of photography and collage, questioning what it means to be truly unique. These mediums enable blending and subverting imagery, allowing for the creation of works that challenge traditional notions of originality. Our tendency to take over our contemporaries’ mannerisms and styles to strengthen our connections can be both sustaining and stifling as we try to balance the desire for distinctiveness with the desire for belonging. By examining these intricate relationships I hope to shed light on the complex interplay between adaptation and innovation.

By multiplying, layering, re-contextualising, and re-photographing found and old family photos, I seek to prompt viewers to question their own relationship with originality.

agnes eperjesey
@eperagi