Photographer Ildi Hermann visited Hungarian Jews in New York. She saw where they lived, took the time to take pictures and to listen to their stories. These elderly witnesses often told their story for the first time. These memories are part of Hungarian history and the Holocaust.
In a way, Ildi fills a gap. Her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor, never told her story. For Ildi, this was a missed opportunity. There are countless personal stories that have been lost. We did not ask in time or no one was able to pass on the story.
The exhibition consists of eight portraits of survivors and their ‘Missing Stories’. Ildi Hermann also took photos of objects that refer to their Hungarian-Jewish past.
Ildi Hermann (1978-2019) was a leading contemporary Hungarian documentary photographer. She was always looking for inspiration from her direct environment. Between 2006 and 2009 she received a József Pécsi Photography Scholarship and became known in 2007 for her project ‘Not Far’. In 2012 she received her Master’s degree in Photography at the Moholy-Nagy University in Budapest. In the same year, she received an honourable mention at the Lucien and Rodolf Hervé Photography Prize. She also received the New York Asylum Arts grant twice. Thanks to this grant, ‘Missing Stories’ was created. Ildi Hermann passed away far too young. In the project ‘NHL’ she revealed her illness.
Curators:
Zsófia Somogyi & Gabriella Csizek
The exhibition is organised by the Liszt Institute in Brussels.