Gábor Ösz — À propos — Slash Paris

Gábor Ösz (Dunaujvaros, Hungary, 1962) produces pared-down, almost alchemical photographs that have to do with observation, space and man’s relation to space. He seeks out situations in which men try to take control of space — places and forms of architecture that are steeped in social or historical significance. He is interested in the relation between interior and exterior and in the way the space where we stand determines our vision of the world, both literally and figuratively.

Ösz takes photographs, but never with a standard camera. He transforms existing spaces into camera obscuras, using a method known for thousands of years. The principle is to let light enter a space immersed in darkness through a small hole. The upside-down image of the view outside is projected onto the wall opposite. This is, roughly speaking, how the eye works, even if it does not contain such a device. Ösz’s interventions metamorphose architectural spaces into giant eyes through which we contemplate the universe. They make us reflect on the vision of the world that subtends our gaze.