Your name
Franciska Legát
Place of birth
Budapest, Hungary
Place where you live now
Budapest, Hungary
3 words to describe you
Honest, having a weird sense of humor and a strong sense of justice
Why do you take pictures?
I'm not that good at words and I've always preferred to express myself visually. When I was a child I used to like drawing but when I started to use the camera I realised that working with the elements of the existing world is more interesting for me than creating a new one.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Stories of people, feelings and experiences of mine, music.
Who are your influences?
Martin Parr, Karolina Wojtas, Richard Billingham, Juergen Teller, Michael Northrup. This year I discovered the work of Anette Frick a German artist in the Marta Herford and it also had a big impact on me.
What determines the subject matter you choose?
My latest project is about the impact of socialism in Hungary. This photo series is based on my parents' stories who were young during the communist era, but it also includes my experiences as a young woman living in a post-socialist country. I find it important to develop my own visual language. The irony, a kind of dark humour and unnatural lighting play an important role in my works in general. Using these tools I want to show the absurdity of the world we live in.
What impact would you like your art to have?
Nowadays, especially in post socialist countries, talking about the past in my parents and grandparents’ generation is often a taboo. In my work I want to emphasise the importance of talking about the past to understand our present and create a better future. In addition I want to make art which can be understood by everyone and not only by the intelligentsia. I want my photos to make people feel something also without reading the statement.
What artwork do you never get bored with?
Hungarian underground music and films from the 80's
Is there anything you want to add?
I believe that without a sense of humor and a bit of self-irony it's impossible to survive in these hard times

Hellish Eden
Project statement

What was the Hungary my parents grew up in like? Cruel compared to the West, humane compared to its neighbours, surreal from today's perspective, but still somehow charming when seen in old pictures. In my series, I attempt to remember a time I haven't lived in, yet, and what plays an important role in forming my identity and our current society.
The title "Hellish Eden" refers to the duality and absurdity of the Hungarian communist regime in the 70s and 80s. Based on my parents’ stories I capture fictional situations that could have been possible in the past but actually never happened. My photos are mostly staged, but by using an unusual documentary approach, my purpose is to blur the line between fiction and reality.
Nowadays, especially in post-socialist countries, talking about the past in my parents' and grandparents’ generation is often taboo. Collaborating with my parents and using my imagination I recreate the era they were young in. With this gesture, I want to emphasise the importance of talking about the past to understand our present and create a better future.

franciska legát
@legatfranci