Silent Dialogues
Anbuh and Vera Hadzhiyska
In this two-person exhibition artists Vera Hadzhiyska and Anbuh delve into deeply personal yet universally resonant experiences, creating a dialogue between two distinct geographies—Bulgaria and South Korea. Despite their different contexts, the two photographers’ work intersect on the common ground of memory, change, and the emotional landscapes we navigate in times of transformation.
Together, these two projects form a cohesive exploration of how we as individuals and societies grapple with change, whether it be through the lens of migration, as in Vera's work, or the global upheaval of a pandemic, as in Anbuh's. Both artists use the familiar landscapes of their lives as a canvas to explore broader questions of memory, identity, and the human condition. In doing so, they reveal a common ground that transcends geographic boundaries—a shared human experience of navigating the complexities of change, whether personal, social, or global.
Vera Hadzhiyska
Vera’s "Night Walks" is an introspective journey through her childhood neighbourhood in Bulgaria, a place layered with nostalgia and the shifting sands of time. Her night walks become a metaphorical passage through both past and present, where familiar spaces are rendered foreign by the passage of time. This exploration of psychogeography, the emotional attachment to place, and the migration of self across time and space echoes a universal experience—the feeling of returning to a place that has evolved in our absence. The neighbourhood, once a cradle of memories, now stands as a site of temporal dissonance, where the past and present collide, evoking a sense of time travel.
Anbuh
Anbuh's work, created during the Covid-19 pandemic in Seoul, similarly grapples with themes of loss, memory, and the ephemeral nature of our existence. His photographs, captured in the familiar surroundings of his home and workplace reflect the subtle yet profound changes wrought by the pandemic. These images resonate with a sense of mourning for what has been lost—both materially and immaterially—while also contemplating the transitory nature of daily life. The pandemic, much like the passage of time in Vera’s work, becomes a force of transformation, altering the spaces and experiences that once felt stable and secure.
The Vulcan Building
Portsmouth
PO1 3BF
Map
4–27 October
Wednesday 11:00–16:00
Thursday 11:00–16:00
Friday 11:00–16:00
Saturday 11:00–16:00
Sunday 11:00–16:00