István Havadi

I grew up and studied in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and obtained a BA and an MA in Photography, Video-art and Digital Image Processing at the Art and Design University from Cluj-Napoca. 

After graduation I took a break from photography to pursue graphic design and later teaching and curricular reform in the field of visual arts. For a few years now my passion for photography and participation in art exhibitions got reignited.

I have always considered the immediate surrounding reality (the landscape, the city, the objects and the people) a pretext and a mean to convey emotions, personal ideas and new meanings. Figurative and abstract representation intermingle in achieving this visual desire. Some of the major themes I explore in my artworks are the relationship with our surroundings, the emotional impact of the urban landscape, human presence in the world and personal identity, outward looking manifestations of a belief system and the geometry of the mundane.

I was never satisfied by pure digital photography, so I use 35mm and 120 black and white and color film regularly. Pinhole photography always was a major interest because of its very unique look and feel. I believe photographs have to be handcrafted objects, thus I am materializing my works with a digital printing machine, by making silver-gelatin prints in the darkroom and also using so called alternative processes, especially gum-oil printing. The interest for historic and alternative photographic printing processes got a major part in my artwork as it bridges the digital image with the handmade graphic arts print.

And … No … never will I shoot your wedding, funeral or anything else in-between.